In His own Hands
by foxface123
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki is what some people would call a 'Good-boy'. He always puts his religion, Christianity, and his family (his dog) into consideration before anything else. Naruto's belief's and innocence slowly start to fade when he meets Sasuke Uchiha, a Demon of the Devil. SASUNARU, SasukeXNaruto, Sasuke-seme, Naruto-uke.
1. Chapter 1

**Alrighty, here's the first chapter of ****_In his own hands. _****X3**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANY OF THE NARUTO CHARACTERS! ALL RIGHT'S BELONG TO KISHIMOTO-SENSEI!**

**/**

_We are all infected and impure with sin._

... Father of Christ...

_When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags._

... I have sinned...

* * *

"Naruto!," I look up from my book, _A Great and Terrible Beauty, _and see Sakura running towards me, an ecstatic look on her face. I smile and mark my page, setting the book down onto the unoccupied edge of the bench i'm currently sitting on. She finally reaches me, and breathe's, before sputtering out "I'm sorry i'm so late, I got caught up arguing with my mother," I shrug and say "It's fine," She chuckles, striding along, and I grab my book and bag walking with her.

"So Naruto, are you going to do Bible readings on Thursday?," she asks me. I give her a look. She smiles at me. "I know, I was joking... of course you are. Ugh... Naruto, you go to every single Christian thing! Why don't you skip one and come with the Gang and I? We're gonna go see the premiere of Twilight Breaking Dawn: Part two! Please come? You can even make fun of the love scenes with Kiba," she coax's me. I shake my head at her. "No...," I say slowly, as if she were five. Sakura huffs at me, but doesn't pester on it anymore.

Broadview Academy starts coming into view. It stands tall and proud. I smile.

My peaceful thoughts are interrupted when my friend Kiba slams into me.

"Naruto!," he shouts "You didn't even wait for me!," I sigh and shrug him off. "I was waiting for Sakura this time," I tell him. Sakura gives him a smug look, and Kiba pouts (As much as he can). "Ahh, whatever," he mumbles, standing to my left, Sakura on my right. "Kiba-," I say "-you got dirt on my uniform! What were you doing? Rolling in mud?," Kiba grins at me. "Heh, close fuck-tard, it was shit," he says. My lips form a tight line at his words, and Sakura's conking him over the head before I can say anything. "Kiba, you idiot!," she reprimands "Don't cuss in front of him!," "Sorry! I forgot...," Kiba whines, nursing his fresh wound. Sakura snorts at him, and takes her place once again to my right.

After a few minutes of silence, I turn and smile at Kiba. He grins weakly back at me, and we both know apologies have been excepted.

* * *

"Mr. Uzumaki,"

I stop in the middle of the hallway, and look over my shoulder. Mr. Umino is walking towards me, a smile on his face. "Good morning, Mr. Umino. How are you today?," I ask. He stops beside me. "I'm fine, thank you," he says.

It's quiet, and then we both start laughing.

"That was the nicest conversation we have ever had, Naruto," Iruka says. I grin at him, starting to walk, him following. "Yes, I didn't think I could keep it up any longer," I say. Iruka smiles at me. Apparently, a thought pops up in his head, because blurts out "Oh yes, Naruto, did you know we have a new student?," I shake my head. "Well-," Iruka continues "-he's foreign. He just previously converted... Could you help him?," I clear my throat, and after a few minutes of thinking, I say "I guess I could...," Iruka chuckles and places a hand on my shoulder. "Good, good... I'll run and grab him, please head to my room," Iruka throws over his shoulder, already running to wherever. I stop and then call out "B-but, I was...," Iruka turns the corner. "... supposed to deliver these to Mrs. Yuhi (A/N: Kurenai)...," Sighing, I change directions, shrugging up the books in my arms.

* * *

Iruka is taking FOREVER!

"Come on already...," I mutter under my breath. Mrs. Yuhi is going to have my head... With nothing to do, I silently rearrange the books that are on the desk in front of me.

I wonder what we're having for lunch today...

...

Sakura had a pimple on the left corner of her forehead... I won't tell her though, she is very sensitive about her forehead...

...

Hm... I want ramen...

I leave my thoughts when I hear distant footsteps. Placing the last book atop the others, I look towards the classroom door patiently, yet eagerly. Iruka is the first to step in. He smiles at me, and says "Naruto, meet your new classmate, Sasuke Uchiha,"

The mystery person steps inside, and my breath hitches.

Beautiful. That's the first word that comes to my head. Tall. Very tall, at least a half a head higher then me. Dark hair that contrasts exceptionally with his pale skin. Nice, cut facial features. I look down, and am able to tell he has a nice fit body, with the way his clothes cling to him. I bring my eyes back up, and make contact with...

... darkness.

I feel my throat go dry.

Calculating. They're calculating me, scanning over me in such a way I find I can't move. They meet my own once again, and i'm swallowed into those black depths.

When he speaks, his voice is dark and rich: "Nice to meet you,"

...

I hate everything about him.

**/**

**Ima gonna stop here. My neck is DYING!**

**I hope that my take, so far, on Christianity isn't stereotypical. I'm actually an Atheist, but I have nothing against Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism etc... Anyways, i'm researching, and i'm probably going to need a lot of help later in the story (help with the religion parts, I mean). X3**

**Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Madara was so funny when he was a kid. X3 And I just ADORE Hashirama! Freakin hilarious!**

**/**

"Naruto?," Iruka asks me. I look towards him. He's giving me a tight smile. "What do you say?,"

I inwardly scream.

"Nice... to meet you as well," I choke out. Sasuke gives me a blank look. Iruka sighs in contentment, and deciding there is nothing wrong, he says "Naruto, please begin the tour of the school. Oh and, Mrs. Yuhi would like her books,"

I sigh and stand, reaching down and grabbing the books.

* * *

The walk to Mrs. Yuhi's room is silent. I don't turn to look at Sasuke, it would just make me angry and give me chills.

I don't know why, but I just absolutely despise this guy-

"A-Ahhh!," I yell. I've just tripped over nothing! I shut my eyes as I fall towards the granite floor.

The impact never comes.

I creak my eyes open, and see black abyss's. I breathe out slowly, my breath coming out jagged... Sasuke slowly lifts me up, and turns away from me picking up the fallen books. He stands, and makes no move to hand the books back to me. I lift my eyebrows, and he just nods his head in the direction we were walking.

I gulp. Guilt overtakes me.

How could I have been so mean? Never judge a book by it's cover, Naruto!

"I'll carry them, wouldn't want you to trip and hurt yourself, idiot,"

I snap my head towards him. "E... excuse me?," I ask. He smirks at me. "What, did your fright kill off some brain cells?," he says. My jaw drops open. "Hey-," I say "-what's wrong with you? I tripped, that's all! I-I wasn't even scared!," Sasuke rolls his eyes at me.

* * *

After delivering the books to a very angry Mrs. Yuhi, I started the tour.

"This is the dining room, where we'll eat breakfast, lunch, dinner... These are the cooks. Good Morning Ms. Yukashi, looking lovely today... The theater... Do you have your schedule yet? I have theater for sixth period... Sasuke?," I turn and see Sasuke staring me, bored. "Can I leave yet?," he asks "This isn't entertaining at all...," I inwardly sigh. Thank you God. "Yes...," I say. Sasuke turns on his heels and walks, rather quickly, away. I stop and shout over my shoulder "Oh and Sasuke, don't forget we have Bible readings on Thursday's, and Church on Sunday's and Wednesday's!," Sasuke doesn't even look back, but his voice echo's "I won't be attending...,"

I stand there in bewilderment.

* * *

"So Naruto, what do you think of the new student?," Sakura asks me, biting into her sandwich. My stomach does flips at the mention of Sasuke. "I think he's sooo hot!," she squeals. I immediately lose my appetite. Sakura looks at me expectantly. "Uh...," I mumble "... I don't know, Sakura... I get a weird feel off of him," She snorts at me.

I huff and go back to eating my instant ramen.

"N-Naruto... Sakura...," Sakura and I both look up towards the timid voice. Hinata stand before us, holding her lunch tray in front of her face. I make eye contact with her, and she quickly averts her eyes. "C... can I sit w-with you t-two?," I smile and pat the seat next to me. She slowly sits. "So Hinata, what did you get to eat?," Sakura asks the shy girl. Hinata try's for a smile, and holds up her tray once again. On it is a regular PB and J, with a carton of milk. Sakura frowns. "That's not very filling, Hinata!," she reprimands "How are your boobs gonna grow if you just eat that? I mean, the milk is fine, but honestly!,"

Both mine and Hinata's face is alight.

"S-S-Sakura!," I shout. Hinata bury's her face in her hands. Sakura looks taken aback. "What?," she asks. I sigh and shake my head, my blush still evident.

* * *

_Neko tanoshii jikan! Neko tanoshii jikan! Neko! Neko! Neko! Neko! Neko tanoshii_ _jikan! _(A/N: Cat fun time! Cat fun time! Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat fun time!)

I think my brain is about to spontaneously com-bust...

"Hello... Welcome to Neko-chan Cafe... How may I help you?," I ask the customers who just walked in.

They grin at me, and I lead them to their seats.

How I landed this job... Well, long story short, I wanted to work at the Public Library but Sakura and Ino insisted I work here, at... Neko-chan's Cafe... It's a little Japanese Cafe downtown. They don't really... hire male workers so I have to wear... a frilly maid's costume.

"Are you on the menu?," one of the men asks me. The girl sitting at the far corner of the table smirks at me, lifting a brow. "And if your not into guys, or if you are, you can always call me... i'm into that kinky stuff,"

I sigh and say "Your orders?," shaking the note-pad and pen for emphasis.

"Choji! I need two orders of Miso Ramen, a Dango Plate, and an order of Kare Raisu (A/N: Translation: Curry Rice)!," I shout into the window connecting the front counter and the kitchen. I hear a 'Okay!', and turn to shift switch with a girl named Katsu (A/N: Lmao). I change and then grab my stuff, quickly heading out the door before someone an ask me to take their shift.

I breathe a sigh of relief when the warm sun hits me.

Checking my watch, I decide to wait for Sakura. Her shift ends in about another 5 minutes, so it won't hurt.

"Thank you for waiting," Sakura says, shoving an envelope into her backpack while we start heading to... well, anywhere. I smile at her. "No problem. Your shift was short anyways," Sakura grins at me.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura says. I keep looking forward, but nod my head to tell her i'm listening. "Want to come over to my house? We can watch The Exorcist... the old version though. That one's the best," "Hm... Alright! But you have to help me with my Algebra 2 homework, I suck at it...," I say. Sakura slugs me on the shoulder. "I'm the one inviting you!," she responds. I retort "Yes but you'll do it because you love me, and because you know I don't like scary movies-," "It's not even scary-," "To you maybe, but to me it's terrifying!," Sakura rolls her eyes at me, but gives in.

* * *

Instead of it just being Sakura and I, Kiba decided he wanted to come. I don't know how he found out, but he did. And then, he decided as well, to call all of the Rookie 9 (That's the little nickname our gang has been labeled, so it's kind of grown on us). We didn't mind, but Sakura made Kiba go to the store and buy snacks for everyone.

Almost everything in Sakura's living room has been occupied.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Tenten take cover on the love sofa. Choji, Lee, Kiba, and Akamaru occupy the couch. Hinata and Neji sit on the only two chairs available, and Shino sits on the floor. Just when I think all hope is lost, I spy Sakura in the corner waving me over. I grin.

She's taken the recliner.

I sit down just as Sakura stands, runs to the t.v., hits play, and runs back. I give her a smug look when she fly's onto the recliner. "Who's the one that's supposed to be scared?," I mock. She glares at me halfheartedly. "Oh, shut up,"

/

"_The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!," _Laughter echo's throughout the living room. I peak an eye over the blanket, only to see Linda Blaire's head do a three-sixty. I yelp and hide once again. Sakura pats my head, cooing "Awww... Is little Naruto scared?," I glare through the blanket, though it does no good, because she can't see me. "Oh whatever Naruto, it was just a doll's head. The movie isn't even real-," "I know! But I don't like scary movies! Especially movies with ghost's and possessions!," "Have a little _faith _will ya?," "Be quite!," I hiss, ending the butt-hurt conversation.

The horrible movie ends, thank you God, and everyone starts filing out.

Sakura offers for me to stay the night, but I decline.

I take the bus. I'm, sadly, the last stop. The bus driver bids me good day, and drives off. The walk to my apartment is tiresome.

* * *

My door creaks open, and a warning growl echo's in my ear's. A light smile reaches my face. "Pako, it's just me," I close the door and lock it behind me. I hear a bark, and then my Bugg (A/N: A Bugg is a Boston Terrier/ Pug mix. I have one, his name is Jake and he's a sweetheart X3) comes bounding in. My smile grows, and I drop to my knees as Pako reaches me. A wet muscle starts licking my face all over, and I snort in disgust. "Ewww Pako, your breath stinks! (A/N: My dog, Jake, always has stinky breath! I brush his teeth too! It doesn't last long!)," Pako sneezes, ans then trudges off into the kitchen.

I clear my throat as I walk through my dark and empty apartment.

Not even bothering to take off my shoes, I plop into bed and wait for the sweet lull of sleep to take me away.

**/**

**My throat hurts... Anyways, what did you think? Was it any good? X3 Sorry, there isn't much Sasuke in this one, but next chapter there is.**

**BTW I don't like those story's that have themes like this, where he/she will be a vampire or whatever, and then it takes FOREVER for them to reveal it. So, if I come on to fast when Sasuke does his reveal later, I apologize but flames will be happily ignored. :)**

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, please remind yourselves that Naruto is like, a super Christian in this story. Just... keep thinking about that, please.**

**/**

First period: Algebra 2 (Hate it.)

Second period: Creative Writing (What the heck, ya know?)

Third period: Japanese 5 (Go me)

Fourth period: Theology

Fifth period: Animal Husbandry

Sixth period: Theater production

This is my schedule.

Sasuke, surprisingly, has all of the same classes with me. Which sucks for me, because I don't like him one bit. But, luckily for me, Sakura has all my classes, so she can show Sasuke around!...

... At least, that's what I was hoping for.

I have Iruka for first, and he insisted (More like _forced_ the idea) that I stick with Sasuke for the day. I threw Sakura in, but it was blatantly ignored. At first, it wasn't too bad. Sasuke is a unusually quiet person, so he didn't even bother me. In fact, I forgot about his presence. That is, until the fangirls showed up.

They've been following him everywhere. Screeching. Squealing. Squawking... Ugh. They are VERY annoying and VERY loud! I almost tried to sneak away, but (for some unknown reason) felt bad about leaving Sasuke, so abide-d against it.

Sadly, Sakura and Ino are a part of the 'I love Sasuke' fan-club (That was made over the time period of one day). Actually, they were the one's who made it up.

"Naruto! You HAVE to get Sasuke and I on a date!," Sakura squeals in my face. Ino throws her aside, and latches onto the front of my shirt. "Nooo! Don't hook him up with Big Forehead! Me Naruto! Get him with me!," Sakura, back up, grabs Ino and spins her around until Ino eventually falls, and then turns towards me saying "I'll buy you as much instant ramen as you want! No! I'll buy you all the Miso Ramen you can eat for a year at the cafe!," Ino shoves her. She, once again, latches onto my shirt, but this time I take notice that her own school shirt is un-buttoned, showing off her cleavage. I blush as she whispers into my ear "I'll make it worth your while- AH!," Sakura has, again, pulled Ino off, and is glaring at her. "Don't tease him like that!," She shouts. Ino frowns and says "I wasn't teasing! Naruto is pretty cute too, you know!," "Yeah, but he's so innocent-," "All the more reason I should be his first-," "Who says?!," "I do!," "Wait, we're getting off topic!," "Oh yeah!,"

As their embarrassing conversation finishes, they both turn to me and shout simultaneously: "So?! Who gets Sasuke?!,"

I plop down onto the bench we HAD been eating lunch on, totally winded. The only thing that leaves my mouth is "Uh...," They start cornering me, and I think it's the end when a dark, rich voice says "Neither...," Sakura and Ino lift their gazes above my head, and I look up. Sasuke is standing behind me, and over me at the same time... Oh wait, it's just because of the angle of my head... Heh heh...

Fight forgotten, Sakura and Ino greet Sasuke together. "Hello, Sasuke!," I roll my eyes, and nibble on my Turkey and Swiss sandwich. Girls are, as Shikamaru says, so troublesome.

Annoyingly, Sasuke sits right next to me... If not a little too close.

"... Hello," he says back to the waiting girls. They both squeak, and then huddle around the two of us. "S-so Sasuke, what did you get for lunch?," Sakura asks, a rosy blush on her cheeks.

A feel a twinge of jealousy strike my heart.

Sasuke doesn't answer. He just pulls out a... Onigiri? "Hey," I ask him "how did you get one of those? I don't know any place that sells Onigiri...," "I'm from Japan," is Sasuke's response. Ohhh... "Japan? Really? Ya know, i'm actually pretty fluent in Japanese. This is my last year of taking the language. I plan on visiting after i've gathered enough money for the trip. I might even stay for a long while. What's it like there? I've read books about it, and looked online, but I want to hear about it from someone who has actually lived there. Ya know, better description. My favorite Japanese food is Miso Ramen with Extra Pork. It's sooo good! We serve it at the cafe, Neko-chan's Cafe. Is that where you got the Onigiri? Wait, I should have just asked that before... Wait, since your from Japan, does that mean you made it on your own?," Sasuke gives me a small nod, staring at me with what seems to be an amused expression. I continue my rant. "Wow! That's so cool! Every time I try to press the rice together, it never works... i'm always busy with picking the rice off my hands and stuff, and I can't get a good grip on it-,"

"Did you rub salt onto your hands?," he interrupts me, taking a bite out of his Onigiri. I stop and think, before saying "No... Why?," "Water down your hands a little, and then rub salt on them. It will help keep the rice from sticking to your skin, and that way you have a better grip on it and can press hard enough to keep it in place," he explains. I grin. "Oh...,"

Sakura and Ino, not liking the lack of attention, interrupt our conversation.

"Wow Sasuke, that's amazing!," They chirp. I hesitate, and then mumble "Yeah... pretty cool...," Sasuke looks at me for a little bit longer, and then closes his eyes with a 'Hn', once again eating his Onigiri.

Sasuke and I didn't talk for the rest of lunch... And even if we were going to, there was no need because Sakura and Ino kept up the conversation.

* * *

*briiiinnggggg!*

"Everyone, sit down please! I have an announcement!," Kakashi hollers over the rowdy classroom. It's sixth period now, which means I have theater.

Once everyone is settled, Kakashi continues. "As you all know, our UIL play is coming up. I have yet to share with you all about which play we will be doing, because I haven't really thought of it yet-," Groans resound around the room. "-BUT... I think I know what I want,"

I lift my head out of my book in interest.

"The play will be: By the Bog of Cats," I make eye contact with him, and lift a brow. He crinkles his eye at me (He had some sort of accident, that he won't give us details on, so he wears a mask that covers his nose and left eye). "By the Bog of Cats is a play about a woman named Hester Swane, and her lover Carthage Kilbride. The setting is in rural Ireland. Hester was born of gypsies, and lives on the land she was born in. Her lover, who she has a daughter with, is about to be married off to another woman who will bring him land, money etc... Hester is heartbroken and goes crazy, yadda yadda...," I roll my eyes at his bad description, but am intrigued no less.

Kakashi's clap echo's throughout the room.

"As you all know, we have been given a new student-," I _feel _Sasuke's annoyance rolling off him, and it just makes me uptight. "-Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, if you would be so kind...," Sasuke stands, grudgingly, and gives Kakashi a glare while walking over. Instead of taking offence (Like normal people) Kakashi's eye crinkles and a chuckle can be heard from him. "Now now, Sasuke... Don't be so mean," "Cram it Kakashi...," I hear Sasuke mutter.

I frown at his words.

I didn't even tell Sasuke Kakashi's name... He never got his schedule, since he was going to follow me around, so he didn't get to learn the teachers name's without my help...

And besides that, they are talking like... long time friends.

Sasuke reaches Kakashi, and Kakashi slaps a hand on his shoulder. "Ahh... To long, huh Sasuke-_kun_?," Sasuke 'Hn's him.

Kakashi once again faces the classroom. "Sasuke will be reciting, and acting a scene from Shakespeare's _Much Ado about Nothing_. I will be playing it with him,"

Sasuke and Kakashi face each other.

By the first line, i'm captured.

Kakashi starts:

"Count Claudio?," Sasuke looks up at him, and nods his head. "Yea, the same," "Come, will you go with me?," Kakashi pleads, waving a hand in his own direction. Sasuke puts on a confused look. "Whither?," "Even to the next willow, about your own business, county," Kakashi says with some attitude. "What fashion will you wear the garland of? About you neck, like an usurer's chain? Or under your arm, like a Lieutenant's scarf? You must wear it one way, for the Prince hath got your Hero," Sasuke's eyes darken, and a grimace forms on his face at the end of Kakashi's sentence. "I wish him joy of her," he says cruelly. Kakashi interjects "Why that's spoken like an honest drovier: so they sell bullocks. But do you think the Prince would have served you thus?," Sasuke shakes his head slowly, speaking softly "I pray you, leave me," Kakashi, I think taking offence, scoffs while saying "Ho! Now you strike like a blind man: 'twas the boy that stole your meat, and you'll beat the post!," Sasuke looks towards Kakashi, then away and starts walking off. "If it will not be, i'll leave you,"

Sasuke walks back to his seat, ignoring the adoring looks from the girls, the impressed and envious one's from the guys. I stare at the spot he had been previously standing at. That was... that was...

"Pay attention, idiot. You might miss something important,"

I snap my head at Sasuke my eyes, i'm sure, aflame. "Mind your own business," I hiss at him.

The bell rings, and I fast-walk out of the class, thanking God for study hall.

* * *

Sasuke ended up following me.

I plopped down onto a empty seat at a secluded table in the farthest part of the library. I hoped that would give him the clue that I want to be alone, but he just walked over and sat right next to me as if he belonged.

I sigh and dig my face into my book.

Sasuke's quite for a while... but then he speaks and to me his voice is very grading. "How long have you been Christian?," I chance a glance at him. "... For as long as I can remember...," I mutter. "Are you from a Christian family? Or did you originally not have a religion?," he asks. "I already told you i've been Christian for as long as I can remember, so leave me alone!," I snap. I hear him breath to say something, and I shoot him a glare. "Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?," I whisper harshly. I don't give him time to answer. "Well then, let me be the first!,"

He sighs and looks away from me.

Huffing, I go back to my book.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't have a family either...," he says quietly.

I close my eyes slowly. Oh God, i'm a monster. I set my book down, and glance at him. "I'm sorry...," I say softly. He shakes his head. "Well, i'm sorry I brought it up. It's a hard subject, I know," We sit in a moment of silence, when I decide to speak up.

"I don't know who my parents, let alone my family was... I've always been alone. I was in a orphanage for a good part of my childhood. Christianity is what saved me... I prayed every day for someone good to adopt me, and low and behold I got one of the greatest people in the world, Iruka...,"

Sasuke 'Hn's me. I clear my throat in discomfort. I've never really told anyone, besides Sakura and Kiba, about my childhood and here comes Sasuke and everything spills.

This time, it's Sasuke who breaks the silence.

"My whole clan was killed off," I look at him in disbelief. "By my brother, no less...," He looks at me, and I gulp. "I've never told anyone about my past...," he mutters. I stare at him a while longer, and then look towards my hands.

Sasuke's given me such personal information...

I stand and grab my book, muttering a goodbye to Sasuke.

* * *

Sakura's no where to be found... I think she said something earlier about 'Hitching a ride' with Ino...

With a sigh, I start walking to the bus stop.

The bus driver tips his hat at me as I step on. I smile and slide the money into the machine, adding a little extra than needed for a tip.

I take a seat in the back of the bus. No one's on but me.

I clear my throat while pulling out my book, reading once again.

The bus makes a few stops, but the people come and go quickly. "They are probably in a rush to get to their family's...," I grumble dryly.

The bus makes another stop, and only one person enters. A strange chill runs through me, but I don't look up until they take a seat.

It's a man. He's sitting in the middle of the bus. He looks like a bum. A long brown coat covers his body, and underneath he wears an overrated Bill Cosby looking sweater, with some dirty black slacks. A blue beanie finishes off his outfit. His eyes are closed, the wrinkles around them moving with every twitch of the bus. I sniff and look down at my book. It's getting dark outside... When I look back up, my heart starts beating a little fast.

He's moved down four seats.

I inwardly sigh and shake my head. Come on Naruto! Don't be a chicken! He just moved is all...

I glance again... He's moved down more, five seats maybe...

My rational self slaps my scared and overreacting self. 'Pull it together man!' it yells...

He's about ten seats away from me...

I look through the front window, and my heart skips a beat.

We're coming up to a tunnel.

Five seconds... four... three... two...

Everything goes black for a second, and then dim lights glow on the bus floor.

I slowly lift my head up and...

... the man's gone...

Fear racks my spine when I hear breathing to my left. I smell rancid breath, alchohal and cigarettes. I lick my lips, and pretend i'm reading. The smell is so nauseating that I have to breath through my mouth. The man coughs and scoots oh so closer to me. When I can't take it anymore, I look at him.

A choked yelp escapes my throat.

The man's eyes are red.

I quickly try to stand, only to have my head slammed onto the chair. I look towards the front of the bus for help, but I can't see the bus driver in the dark. "H-," I try to shout, but I get cut off when a large hand covers my mouth. "Tibi clausa os!," he whispers in my ear. I stop moving for a second, utterly confused, and then start wiggling more. My wiggling becomes thrashing when my throat is pressed hard on. I can no longer breathe. I see the glow of the man's blood eyes again, and it doesn't help me because I find the need to hyperventilate. Blackness forms around my vision, and I close my eyes helplessly.

Oh... Oh, please God save me...

* * *

"Naruto... Are you okay?," I crack my eyes open, and blink the blurriness away. Sasuke's standing in front of me.

My head hurts... A nervous feeling is at the pit of my stomach for some reason...

I think back to what had happened...

The man was taken off of me... I heard some noises... And then I saw Sasuke... Something about him was different... It didn't take me long to figure out... His eyes were red. Sasuke's eyes were red, just like that man's.

I sit up quickly, and ignore the dizziness it caused me. I scramble out of the bed (Bed?) I had been laying in and run across the room, as far away from Sasuke as I can be.

My throat's real dry, so when I speak my voice is hoarse. "W-what happened?... Sasuke, your eyes they were... That guy!...," Sasuke frowns. He walks around the bed slowly, and then takes some steps towards me but I try to bury myself into the wall. "No... don't come over here...," I warn, reaching up towards my throat. Sasuke immediately stops. "Naruto...," My lip trembles and my eyes sting. "Don't talk to me! Don't say my name!," I shout. Sasuke's frown dissapear's. I finally reach my neck, and I fumble with the chain around it. When I get a good grip, I pull out my cross.

Sliding down the wall and onto my knees, I press the cross to my lips and try to get a hold of my thoughts and emotions.

The man... He moved down the bus seats so quickly... Even though I was just glancing, I looked between the time period of 3-5 seconds. He dissapeared in the time period of one second, only to show up right beside me...

My breath is shaky when I inhale and exhale...

His eyes were red... And when he spoke, it was in... Latin I think?...

Inhale...

The bus never stopped, and we were still in the tunnel when Sasuke showed up out of no where...

Exhale...

His eyes...

Inhale...

Sasuke's eyes...

Exhale...

They were red...

I start getting a bad taste in my mouth.

Calm down Naruto... Calm down...

"W... what... Are you, e-even human?," I whisper.

Sasuke stares at me with his coal shaded eyes. I feel petrified.

The longer I meet his gaze, the more things I notice.

For one, Sasuke doesn't have pupils.

Hinata and Neji look pupil-less, but they're just very clear...

But Sasuke's... they're empty...

For another, his eyes flicker. They don't flicker with movement, but with color.

It slightly flashes with a dark, dark maroon color.

"I guess you could say-," Sasuke says, his voice monotone. "- Paulo Diabolus,"

**/**

**Oh man I had some trouble writing this. X} Tell me what you think please...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ugh. Filler does suck, but all these people complaining on YouTube need to shut the hell up. All they're doing is complaining, and I say if you are gonna keep bitching, then just stop watching the filler or something I mean COME ON ASSHOLE'S! I would have thought that by now, Naruto Anime watchers would have come to terms with the fact that there is a lot of filler, but apparently some people can't. I've come to terms with it, and now I can watch any damn filler episode they throw at me. Damn it they just piss me the fuck off...**

**I mean, if you don't like filler then stop watching the anime. If you don't wanna stop watching the anime, then stop watching the filler. If you can't stop watching filler, think of the positives in filler. If you, for some unknown stupid ass reason, can't do that, then just think of when we're gonna see Madara, and get your shit together. AH! I can't even think straight!**

**I know I probably sound real bitchy, and if you've talked to me then I sound real out of character, but when it comes to anything Naruto i'm always gonna defend. I've watched the Naruto Anime ever since I became a fan, and just started reading it since like, last year. So when people are complaining nonsense over something they can't change, it pisses me off. If someone thinks they can bitch about Naruto and get away with it, they've got another thing coming because I'll tell you off.**

**Shut the fuck up you little ass monkey, shit hole fans! No one likes to hear, see, or read your complaints!**

**P.S. I'm sorry if anyone takes offense to this, I just needed to blow off some steam real bad. I couldn't even think straight... And when I say 'you' I meant it as in the people complaining.**

**...Now, after that positive comment, let's get to the story. I'm combining demons with the plot line of Naruto, BTW.**

**/**

Naruto looks like he's about to faint.

He is cocooned in a corner of the room, not letting me take a centimeter closer. He's pale and shaking slightly. His blue eyes are wide, shock and disbelief floating in them. His cross is pressed so tightly to his lips, that they are turning white.

I sigh and cross my arms.

The sound snaps Naruto, some what, out of it. He closes his eyes slowly.

"... Explain...," he demands quietly.

I sit on the bed, folding my hands and setting my chin on them.

"Alright...," I say.

* * *

"A long time ago, there were two different Demon Clan's. The Uchiha Clan, and the Senju Clan. They were enemy's, their villages rivaling each other.

The Uchiha Clan had a special bloodline technique called the Sharingan. Because their clan possessed the Sharingan or 'Wheel Eye,' the Uchiha excelled at being able to read and fend off attackers.

The Senju Clan was known as 'The Clan of a thousand skills,' since they excelled in all skills, from Ninjutsu to Taijutsu and Genjutsu.

Some years later, the Senju Clan, tired of all the fighting, called on a peace treaty with the Uchiha Clan. Though some were against it, the treaty was made, and they formed the village Konoha.

I'm from Konoha. The village has become diverse over the years, so other demons live there-," "'become'?," Naruto asks, interrupting me. I look at him. His mouth is set in a straight line, his eyes glowing with worry and slight interest. I nod. "The village still stands...," I say carefully. Naruto sighs in what seems to be exasperation.

"This is unbelievable... Just... You... You're not... lying, are you?," his voice is laced with hope at the end. I just give him a blank stare. "Why are you here?," he says, trying to ignore the silence. I hesitate, before slowly saying "Why... does it matter?," Naruto glares at me, absentmindedly fingering his cross. "Answer my question," he demands "I want answers Sas... n-now...,"

For some reason, I feel offended that he won't say my name.

"I'm not here for any particular reason," my voice is cold "I just wanted to... check things out," Naruto pops out another question. "The man. The man on the bus. What was he? A demon, too?," I nod. Naruto gives me a small sound that could be considered a sound of understanding, but I can feel his confusion, taste his fear.

It's enticing.

We're quiet for a while. After i've had enough of the silence, I say quietly "Don't tell anyone,"

Naruto looks up at me, eyes wide. "You... you're not going to... h-hurt me?," he asks. I roll my eyes at him. "No, you idiot. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done that by now," I stand from the bed, walking to the door leading out of the bedroom. A choked, surprised noise comes from Naruto. He stands abruptly and shouts "W-wait!," I stare at him. "Don't... leave...," I lift a dark brow. Has he finally calmed down? "I don't know where I am... And, you're probably lying... this is a trick, isn't it? Well, it's not funny! All these lies... Sasuke, get me out of here, now!," No. He hasn't.

I feel a small smile touch my lips.

He's said my name.

"Alright-," I tell him, turning back towards the door. "-but if you tell _anyone_... That might as well be your death wish,"

That said, I open the door and walk out into the hallway. I'm slightly surprised when Naruto actually follows me, trailing close.

A thought strikes me.

Naruto never asked for more answers.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

Calm down... Calm down... Calm down... Calm down...

...

Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!

I need my phone... *reaches inside _empty _pocket* Ah! He took it! How am I going to contact Iruka? Is he worried? Has he called the police?! The police! I need them! I need the cops! Sasuke is some kind of psychotic freak! Wasn't there a break out from a Mental Institution, like, ten years ago? *gasp* It's Sasuke! He must have broken out... Oh God, give me answers!

"Naruto?,"

I'm lifted out of my... frenzied thoughts, and look up at Sasuke. He has a blank face, and is... HOLDING A DOOR OPEN! OUTSIDE!

Without a word, I zoom into the darkness.

I hear Sasuke shout behind me, but I don't stop.

What time is it? No one's out...

Just when my throat starts burning, i'm tackled to the ground.

"Ah! Get off!," I shout. "You idiot! Damn it Naruto-," I wince when he cusses "-you can't run off like that-," "Why not?!," I shout, thrashing. "Sasuke! Get off!," "No! You have to listen to me-," I cut him off, jabbing my elbow towards his face. He grabs it mid-air, bending till it touches my back. I bite my lip and hold in the whine that's crawling up my throat. "Please...," I beg. "Please Sasuke! I don't have anything! No money! N-nothing!," "I don't want your money, idiot...," I sniff and try to calm my shaky breath. Sasuke waits until i've calmed down (Sort of) and then says "Relax Naruto... i'm not the one who's going to hurt you...,"

I'm thrashing again instantly.

Sasuke groans. "Naruto?," I snap my head towards the voice... A breathless gasp leaves me. "Sakura!," I scream. "Sakura! Sakura!," I can barely see her because it's so dark, but she's there. Oh God, she's there! Sasuke 'Tck's and covers my mouth. Sakura starts walking towards my voice. "Naruto? Are you okay?," she asks the dark. "We've been looking for you everywhere! Where are you?," My eyes start stinging. I bite Sasuke's hand to make him let go, but he doesn't let up. "Stop moving," Sasuke hisses in my ear. I glare at him through the corners of my eyes, when my heart leaps into my throat.

Sasuke's eyes are red.

I feel the breath leave my body, and the last thing I see are those crimson eyes...

* * *

**Sakura POV**

"Naruto?," I ask again. I'm answered with silence.

Confusion hits me. I could have sworn I heard...

"Sakura...," My legs halt on their own accord, Sasuke's voice skiing across my body. "S-Sasuke!," I gasp, my face getting hot. He steps out into the street I was wondering on. I rake my eyes over him. "Sasuke," I ask him "w-what are you doing here?," I receive no answer, so I bring my eyes up to his face. No emotion shows on his face, but I can see in his eyes that he's nervous.

A smirk works it's way onto my lips.

"Sasuke...," I say "Don't be nervous. I won't bite... unless you want me to," I see him visibly shiver. "Sakura-," he says "-let me walk you home," A gasp escapes me, I lose my smirk. I merely nod as he walks past me.

The smirk is back when I think about telling Ino.

* * *

**Sasuke POV**

Damn this girl...

"Sasuke... Don't be nervous. I won't bite... unless you want me to," I shudder at the thought. I'd like to bite this girl's head off... "Sakura-," I say, walking past her "-let me walk you home," I have to get her away from here before Naruto wakes up... She gasps, and just nods.

She won't shut up. Her incessant talking is pissing me off, her voice wearing down my every nerve.

" ...And then Ino-pig, I call her Ino-pig because she eats sooo much, said that my dress was overrated! She said she saw it in a magazine last year, but I know it's a lie because it had just got released from stores!... So, Sasuke, what's it like in Japan?," I look down at her, my face (Hopefully) blank. "Fine," Is my one-worded answer. Sakura lights up at it. "Wow! You know, i'm in Japanese with Naruto- Ah! Naruto!," I stop walking. Sakura's looking behind us, down the dark street. I stand there, tense and ready to take action if needed... "I guess I was imagining things," she mutters to herself, turning to me and smiling. I nod my head shortly, and we continue walking.

"Thank you for walking me home, Sasuke...," Sakura says, prancing up the stairs to her home. I 'Hn' her. She spins on her heels when she reaches the top, crosses her arms behind her back and stares at me. I make no move to follow her. She pouts, trying to go for 'Cute', and whines "Sasuke! Aren't you going to walk me to the door?," I lift a brow. "Why? I'm not your 'boyfriend'," I mutter, growing anxious. I look up at the sky.

Naruto could have woken up by now...

When I look back at Sakura, her eyes are half-mast and she's looking at the ground, a dark blush on her cheeks. "Well... You could be...," she whispers. I frown at her. She glances at me, and then back at the ground, shuffling her feet. I inwardly groan. "No," Turning abruptly, I start walking towards her white fence, reaching for the gate latch...

"Sasuke! W-why?," I hear her squeal. I look at her from the corners of my eyes, still walking. There are un-shed tears in her eyes. "Because-," I face forward. "-you're annoying,"

Her sobs echo down the street.

Pathetic. Humans are truly, pathetic.

* * *

I reached Naruto before he woke. Picking him up and setting him onto my back was an easy feat, for he's pretty light.

I stride at a easygoing pace. While my mask is in place, I think about the future...

First, i'm going to have to convince Naruto to believe me. That won't be easy...

So far, what i've gathered about Naruto is that he like's to lie to himself. He covers up the cold hard truth of reality with lies. Granted, there isn't much proof of that, and i'm sure many people would have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that there is a Demon among them, but Naruto is different.

Second, i'm going to have to convince him to stay with me.

He's seen my eyes. He's seen the man's eyes. I've given him information no human should ever receive, and now he's in danger so I have to take the initiative and protect him.

And that brings me to the third thing, protecting him.

Once i've convinced him, he'll have to stay with me. I highly doubt that he is just going to accept me following him everywhere, so i'll have to do it in secrecy. I bet THEY have already sent out a squad of Hunting Nin in our direction. But, I can't relocate Naruto now, it will cause suspicion around the city and suspicion leads to questions, and questions eventually leads to answers which I cannot give... So, relocating is out of the question.

I'm sure Iruka has already called the police. Naruto's been missing for two days now. The authorities will most likely go to those closest to Naruto, so Sakura will be questioned. After tonight, i'm sure she'll give them some information about what she _thought _she heard, so that means they will come to me. And if they come to me, they come to Naruto, and if they come to Naruto, then THEY will come to Naruto.

And, that can't happen.

A possibility would be returning Naruto to Iruka. I think they live together, but i'm not positive. That's beside the point. If I return him, I can watch from afar. I already go to school with him.

*sigh* That's another thing. The school.

I'm sure Naruto will question me on how I could even enter his school. Crosses hang on almost every door, every section of the school has been blessed. I can't have him questioning his religion, because it's all true it's just...

If THEY come and get Naruto, I have to protect him. If I protect him, THEY will catch me and drag me back to be punished for...

Damn it.

I sigh and reposition Naruto, shrugging him up a little.

There's only one option left.

In order for me not to get captured and Naruto not to be killed, I have to earn his trust and his belief.

I'm going to have to tell Naruto everything.

**/**

**Sorry, short chapter. Ohhh snap, Sasuke's a man on a mission. X3 I had some trouble writing this chapter. I didn't know which way I wanted it to go, but I figured it out and i'm satisfied. **

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**SUKI SUKI SUKI SUKI SUKI SUKI SUKI SUKI, SUKI SUKI SUKI SUKI SU-UKII... ETC...**

**...**

**Stuck in my head. (Hatsune Miku Suki Suki Suki)**

**/**

Damn this idiot. He won't wake up...

*leaves the room*

*sound of water running*

*comes back in with bucket*

Here you go.

"Gahhhh!,"

Hn.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-you!," I lift a brow at him. Naruto jolts off of the bed, and runs in a circle before seeming to remember something because he's across the room and in a corner once again. I can see the light shivers running through his body. He has a stern look on his face. "Sasuke-," he starts, his tone oddly calm. "-where's Sakura?," I shrug, and look at him quizzically. "I don't know what you mean," I say. That's makes him angry. He glares at me, his usually warm, soft blue eyes growing cold and icy. "Sasuke, this isn't funny. I've had enough of your stupid little prank...," His words are strong, but I know his resolve is dissipating slowly as memories start forming. He's stopped talking all together.

I break the silence.

"No. This isn't a prank, trick whatever the Hell you want to call it-," He flinches when I say Hell. "-and now it's my turn to talk, so you better listen," His lips form a tight line, but he nods (Grudgingly).

"Okay-," I say "-good. First, you have to believe me. Do you believe me, Naruto?," He thinks his answer over carefully. "I...," I wait patiently. Naruto stares me in the eyes, and the seconds feel like agonizing years before he says quietly: "I believe you,"

I inwardly sigh, one of relief.

Now it's time for me to explain.

"Naruto... the reason i'm here is to obtain power...," I choose my words carefully, say them slowly as if not to scare him. Tck. I think anything i'm about to say is going to scare him. "... Power for what?," he asks. I nod, more to myself then him.

"Power to kill my brother,"

* * *

_"Now remember, breathe in deep or else you will not have the right amount of oxygen to-," "I know! I know! Quiet, Aniki, and watch!,"_

_A small smile reaches Itachi's (Sasuke's older brother) face and he chuckles._

_'Sasuke is getting an attitude...' he thinks to himself._

_Sasuke (Itachi's little brother) take's his stance, feet shoulder width apart, and forms hand seals:_

**Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.**

_Sasuke breathes in deep, and shouts: "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! (A/N: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)," A giant blast of fire escapes him._

_He holds it for a whole thirty seconds, and then it slowly starts to dissipate. When it's gone, Sasuke try's to cover up the need for air by jumping away from Itachi to take a big breath. Itachi shakes his head at his little brother's antics, but pretends he doesn't notice._

_"See...," Sasuke mutters looking away, taking a breath, and then looking back towards his brother. "I told you I could hold it-," "What good is holding it, if you are to tired to even get a breath?," Itachi interrupts him. Sasuke frowns. Itachi walks over to him, and kneels before him, placing his hands on Sasuke's shoulder. "If you run out of chalkra-," he whispers, giving Sasuke a stern look. "-you die," Sasuke gulps, but nods his head in understanding._

_The smile returns to Itachi's face._

_"Come on, Okaa-san will be upset if we are late for dinner again," he says, walking ahead of Sasuke. Sasuke smiles wide, and runs past Itachi, laughing._

* * *

"To kill your...," Naruto doesn't finish his sentence. He just looks down at his hands.

I stare at him a moment longer than needed, and then close my eyes.

* * *

_"Sasuke, you need to be more careful," Mokito (Sasuke's mother) coons laying a hand over Sasuke's bandaged cheek. Sasuke slightly blushes, and then turns his head away from her with a 'Hmph'. Mokito smiles softly, before standing and telling Sasuke dinner will be ready soon._

_He waits until she turns the corner, and then runs out of the living room and down the hallway to his room. Sasuke fly's in, swinging the door open and landing on the bed with a 'Thump'. 'I'm getting stronger...,' he thinks to himself. 'Soon father will take notice...,'_

_When Sasuke wakes, it's dark out. A yawn escapes him. 'I missed dinner...,' he mumbles in his head. He slides his door open, and takes a peek._

_All the lights are out. He shrugs, before starting to close the door when something catches his attention._

_Voices. Soft murmurs._

_Sasuke, making a decision between listening and going back to bed, creeps down the hall. He stops when the voices reaches their maximum. He recognizes them._

_'Okaa-san, Oto-san, Aniki...,'_

_Sasuke presses his ear to the door, quiet as a mouse._

* * *

"Naruto...," I say to him. "... what would you do if someone killed Iruka?," It's quiet.

"There's... nothing I could do...," Is his answer. "What would you do if someone killed everyone you loved?," I ask a moment later, opening my eyes and staring at him. He looks taken aback, and he stutters: "U-uh... I-," "What if, the person who killed them was someone precious to you?,"

Naruto exhales slowly. "I don't see the point in this Sasuke... I thought you were going to explain...,"

I nod at him. "Yes... this is me explaining...,"

* * *

_"Are you going to attend the meeting tomorrow?," Fugaku (Sasuke's father) asks. To whom, Sasuke doesn't know... "Yes. I plan on it," Itachi says. 'Oh...,' Sasuke grumbles in his head. "I... have a mission tomorrow," Itachi mutters. Sasuke peeks through the door. Fugaku frowns. "Mission? What mission?," "I cannot tell you, it's top secret," Fugaku looks Itachi in the eyes. "Itachi, you are the center of this clan, do you understand? You connect us to the village," Itachi is quiet, and then he says: "Yes. I understand," Fugaku nods, and says "Then you will come to the meeting tomorrow...,"_

_"Sasuke,"_

_Sasuke jumps lightly, and then guilt overtakes him._

_He opens the door all the way, a worried look on his face. Itachi and his parents are looking at him, his parents shocked, Itachi's face void of emotion. "Sasuke. You should get back to bed," Itachi urges. Sasuke slowly turns away, and then gives a small nod._

_"... Hai...,"_

* * *

"Do you remember what I said the other day? About my brother?," Naruto chews his bottom lip, but nods. "That's the reason i'm here. I'm going to obtain power to kill my brother...," I stop talking when I see Naruto shaking his head slowly. He seems to be thinking.

"Why would you come here? There's nothing for us to offer... Wouldn't you get stronger at your village?,"

I stop and think.

...

"The village... isn't important to me anymore-," "But, didn't you have friends there?," I frown.

I have to stop and think again.

"I cut my bonds when I left...," "So you did have friends?,"... I nod slowly. "Then why would you leave? Obtaining power for something so... I mean, I guess I get where you coming from, but isn't it very censorious? Isn't it affecting your friends? The people around you?,"

I glare at Naruto.

"Why the Hell does it matter? It's over with. I've already been gone for three years now, no one gives a shit...," Naruto flinches. My voice fades and I turn my glare to the wall. "... You should just... be quiet and listen, because this involves you...," I mutter. Naruto doesn't say anything, so I continue.

* * *

_"Sasuke-kun!," "Sasuke-kun, you're so cool!," "Sasuke-kun, marry me!,"_

_Sasuke sighs as he walks past all of his 'adoring' fangirls. 'This is why I don't like coming to the Academy...,' he thinks to himself._

_Walking into the classroom, Sasuke spots a few... acquaintance's of his. Hyuga Neji and Sai. Yes, just Sai._

_He strides over to them (Yes, strides, because Uchiha's don't rush) and sits in the empty chair between Neji and Sai. "They seem more excited then usual, Sasuke-kun," Sai comments. Sasuke 'Tck's him and rolls his eyes. "Whatever...," he mutters._

* * *

"You are now in danger...," I start. "You know what I am. Some... people are coming to hunt you down. It's my fault. I shouldn't have told you anything, not even about Itachi. That's why that man was on the bus. Just by receiving the little information about my past, you have already landed on THEIR hit list...," I glance at him. Naruto's staring at me, but he doesn't look scared. He seems to be waiting for me to finish so he can say something. I lift a brow at him, passing a message. 'Yes?'

"Then why did you?,"

I 'Tck' him. Giving a smirk, I ask "'Why did I' _what_, idiot?," I expect a sassy retort, or a glare, or even both, but I receive a curious look from him.

"Why did you tell me?,"

My smirk fades.

* * *

_"Okaa-san?! Oto-san?!," Sasuke shouts._

_His breathing is erratic. Sweat rolls down his temples, across his cheeks. His eyes are wide, frantic._

_He runs out of the living room and down the hall. He reaches his destination and slams his parents bedroom door open._

* * *

"Well... You gave me information, so I figured why not...," I mutter, 'Hmph'ing him and turning my head away. "Why not lie?," "Tck. What's the point in lying?," "You said you've never told anyone about your past, so am I special or something?," "No! You wish loser," "Don't be like that!," "Hn...," "... So why'd you tell me?,"

I groan and glare at the blond idiot across the room. "Damn it Naruto-," he flinches "-why does it matter?," "You said it involves me!," he whines. I turn away to hide a smile.

The idiot's cozying up to me already.

"Look... we can sit here all day and argue about that- Oh wait. No. We can't. Naruto... people... are hunting you down right now-," "Yeah you said that already," Naruto whimpers. "-which is why you need to make a commitment," I finish. Naruto tilts his head, eyeing me up and down warily. "Commitment? What kind of commitment?," "Nothing big. Just that... I'm going to have to live with you,"

Naruto's lip twitches. A small sound escapes through his lips.

"LIKE I'D EVER LET YOU STAY WITH ME!," he yells, his voice shaky and his face red. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU! I DON'T KNOW YOUR REAL MOTIVES! IT'S UNCANNY! IT'S IN-DECENT! IT'S UNORTHODOX! I'M NOT DOING IT!,"

My eyebrow twitches.

"Shut up Naruto...," I glare at him, and he shuts his eyes, shaking his head. "No! No! No! No way! I won't! You won't! Out of the question!," "How is it a bad option?," I pester. He snaps his head up at me, un-shed tears in his eyes and points a finger at me. "I don't know what your going to do! You could sneak in and do... horrible things to me! No way!," I roll my eyes at him. "Look, idiot, that's not my motive," I try to explain. Naruto growls and pulls at his hair. "You can't stay with me!," "Why not?!," I shout, losing my temper.

"You're a DEMON, Sasuke!,"

* * *

_A metallic smell invades his nostrils. Moonlight shines through a lone window. Sasuke see's his parents bodies on the floor and runs towards them, but stops when a figure walks out of the shadows. Sasuke backs up, and his breath hitches when the person steps into the light._

_It's Itachi._

_"A... A-aniki, w-who... d... did this?," Sasuke barely stutters out. A shuriken suddenly smacks onto the door beside him, and then another one, hitting Sasuke. Sasuke flinches and lifts a hand to his now bloody shoulder. "A-aniki what are you doing?!," Sasuke screams. He receives no answer, just a stare. Sasuke try's again. "Aniki, what are you doing-,"_

_"Orokana Otouto...," (A/N: Translation: "Foolish little brother...,")_

* * *

Naruto has his head in his hands, shaking slightly.

A small sigh escapes my lips.

I take a step forward. There's no response, so I repeat the action. And then repeat again... and again... I crouch in front of him.

"Naruto...," I coax. He doesn't look up. I hesitantly reach out to him. A finger makes contact with his wrist. He slightly shy's away, but not much. This time, when I reach out again, I set my hand on his shoulder.

"I told you before i'm not here to hurt you,"

* * *

_Sasuke looks up and meets Itachi's eyes._

_"Tysukiyomi...,"_

_The color drains from the world. Dead bodies fall at Sasuke's feet. Shuriken and kuni fly everywhere. Blood covers the walls. "Stop! STOP!," Sasuke pleads. Sasuke see's his 'Auntie' and the man he had been talking to in the morning drop dead. He see's his mother and father sitting on their knees, their backs to Itachi. Itachi raises his sword and..._

_"STOP!," Sasuke screams, grabbing his head._

_The color returns to the world. Sasuke lies in his own drool, the shock being to much for him._

_Once Sasuke feels he can talk, he asks: "W... why did you... do this?,"_

_The answer he receives brings hot bile up his throat._

* * *

"... I don't believe you yet... but I guess... I don't really have a choice...," Naruto whispers.

* * *

_"I wanted to see what I was capable of,"_

_Sasuke's eyebrow's furrow. "You... you killed everyone to find out what you were... capable of? Why?!," He yells. "It's important," Itachi retorts._

_Hot anger consumes Sasuke. He stands and runs towards Itachi. Itachi simply punches him in the stomach, causing Sasuke to fall to the ground with a gasp. He's landed closer to his parents dead bodies. A sob escapes him. Tears start pour from Sasuke's eyes. Itachi steps closer to Sasuke. Sasuke stands and shouts "I'm scared!," He goes outside and starts running away._

_Sobs escape Sasuke as he runs. He yells "Don't kill me!,"_

_He stops running when Itachi appears before him._

_"You're not my aniki-," "I wanted to verify your capacity," Itachi interrupts. (A/N: Okay so, in episode 131, Itachi says 'capacity' as in 'capacity of chalkra'. Just... yeah okay let's continue) "In the future, I will become your opponent," Itachi continues. "The only reason I am going to let you live is because you desperately want to surpass me, and that serves for my benefits. When we battle it will verify my capacity,"_

_Sasuke's breathing is erratic._

_"We are both capable of obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan. There is a condition though... You must kill you're best friend, just like I did,"_

_Sasuke's eyes widen. He remembers the Uchiha Shisui incident. "Did you really kill Shisui?," Sasuke asks him. Itachi nods. "Yes, and thanks to that, I have obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan. If you obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, there will be three people including myself who have ever used it. If that happens, there will be a reason for you to live... As you are now, you aren't even worth killing,"_

_Darkness starts pulling at the edges of Sasuke's vision._

_"Hate me... Detest me... Survive... Cling to life, and some day step before me with the same eyes I have now,"_

_The darkness consumes him, and Sasuke falls unconscious._

* * *

"Good," I say standing. Naruto lifts his head up, his gaze following me across the room. I open the door, and stand beside it. "Let's go," I command.

**/**

**Phew. That took a few days to write. Sorry if I got some stuff wrong with that last flashback thing, it was coming off the top of my head. *grins* Memories!**

**I hope I resolved everything pretty sightly. :) Review and tell me what you think, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope so far I have satisfied everyone's needs... Except for the yaoi needs out there. ;) There won't be a lemon quite yet. Heh heh... I feel so... So, 'dirty' when writing them. Embarrassed. Yosh! Sento kaishi! (Lol, i've been playing sooo much Naruto Shippuden Ninja Storm Generations! I am SO going to get the new Ninja Storm game! :D)**

**/**

The bus ride to my house was anything but tense... Okay, that's a lie. It was very tense.

Sasuke didn't let me move an inch away from him the whole time. He was 'worried' that there would be another 'person' nearby, so I couldn't even move.

I added to the tension by being very, very angry.

Can you believe this?! I'm stuck with a DEMON who is going to LIVE WITH ME! And that's not the half of it! No, no! It couldn't stop there! Now, there's these OTHER DEMON'S who are HUNTING ME!

I thought:

... Is this a punishment? I don't remember doing anything this horrible! Was it because of that one time when I was at Sakura's house, and I ate her last cup of instant ramen without her permission? Was it because I saw that homeless man on the street, and didn't run home to get change for him? Ah! I should have gotten change!

"Route 13: Bishop Street,"

I gulped as I stood, nodding to Sasuke, urging him to follow.

While walking to my run-down apartment, I couldn't help but notice how close Sasuke was. His body heat radiated off of him. I thought that was strange. My thoughts on Demons had always been that they were cold blooded. Red skinned, with their waists down taking the form of a goats bottom. Ugly. Sort of like a stereotype on them.

But Sasuke is _nothing_ like that.

I will admit, Sasuke is probably the most attractive, sexy, enticing man I have ever laid my eyes on. He's beautiful, a piece of art. His skin is pale, but a nice pale. A lovely shade of the purest, creamiest snow. His hair is dark. Pitch black. When the light catches the dark locks, they remind me of ravens feathers. For some UN-Godly reason, it makes me want to run my fingers through it. But the thing that get's me the most...

... are his eyes.

I can hardly look in them without being trapped.

I prance up my stairs, do a 360 turn, and jam the key into the lock when we get to my door. I blush and continue unlocking the door, not looking at Sasuke. "Sorry...," I mutter. "It's a habit," Sasuke doesn't say anything.

The door creaks open, and a warning growl resounds through the house. I open my mouth to speak, but I stop.

That... was a awfully deep growl.

"Pako?," I call out, dropping the keys on the dining room table. "Pako!," My voice is more frantic this time. I hear Sasuke 'Hn' behind me. I abruptly turn towards him. "Where's my dog?! What did you...,"

"Grrrrr...,"

I've halted all movement. That was a deep, deep growl. I look at Sasuke, who's standing in front of me. His face is blank, but his eyes flicker with... annoyance?

I slowly, ever so slowly turn my head. My breath gets caught in my throat.

There's a giant Rottweiler on steroids standing behind me.

"W-w-w-w-w-," I stutter, backing into Sasuke. (As if he could be a barrier from me and the terrifying monster)

A groan goes through Sasuke. "Great... Just when I thought everything was going to go smoothly...," he mutters. Another growl comes from the monster. Sasuke gently pushes me forward. I look at him like he's grown two heads. "What in Gods name do you think you're doing?!," I shout, trying to scramble back into him. Sasuke sighs and says "Just go up to him-," "No!," "Naruto...," "Never!,"

Is he CRAZY?!

"No! No no no no no no! Please no!," Sasuke ignores my pleads, shoving me towards the beast. I grab hold of my cross in my despair, and start murmuring prayers.

Another deep growl.

_Grant, O Lord, Thy protection..._

Another shove.

_And in protection, strength..._

My breath comes out in pants.

_And in strength, understanding..._

My eyes are shut tight.

_And in understanding,_ _knowledge_...

When I finally make the decision of peeking, the beast lunges forward. My breath hitches and I shut my eyes again...

_And in knowledge..._

"Heel!,"

The pain never comes. I smell something metallic... but also bacon-y. Creaking my eyes open, one at a time, I see the beast... It's in front of us. Panting. The tongue sticking out the side of it's mouth.

It reminds me of a puppy.

The (Oh God) red eyes stare straight at us.

Sasuke sighs, and the beast... monster... dog... Rottweiler... thing barks, lifting it's hind quarters in the air. The giant (Heavy looking) tail swings behind it's raised arse, it's jowls sagging on the ground.

I stand there in confusion. I give Sasuke a bewildered look.

He sniffs at me, and then looks towards the thing. "This is my... dog," he announces. "Dog?," I croak. He shrugs. "...Hell-hound...,"

I look back towards the alleged 'Hell-hound'. Drool pools onto the ground, the tails swings more violently than before. Those red eyes watch my every move. Waiting.

"Will it... bite?,"

I feel stupid asking the childish question.

"_It _is a he," Sasuke explains. "No, he won't bite. He just wants to play... Ignis, I thought you were with Neji," The dog barks back a reply. "Hn...," Sasuke mutters.

"Ignis?," I ask. Sasuke nods. "Yes. It's Fire in Latin," He throws me a wry smile. "You'll see why later," My eyebrows shoot up. "Later? No. No no no no noo... This... This 'dog' isn't staying here!," Sasuke walks past me, and pats the Hell-hound on the head. Another bark, this time louder than all the others. A small gasp escapes me, and I lay a hand over my chest. "Where's Pako?," Just as I say it, a small, shaking form enters the dining room. "Pako!," I exclaim, running towards him.

Pako gives me a few licks on the cheek, and then (Feeling more confident) growls at Sasuke when he walks over. Sasuke sniffs at Pako. "This is what you call a dog? Looks more like a rat to me...," he comments. "Well your 'dog' looks like a fat horse," I retort, picking Pako up and walking into my bedroom.

A light chuckle follows behind me.

I set Pako on my bed, who trails to the edge, watching me. Sasuke enters, his dark eyes scanning over every crevice, nook and cranny.

"Here," I say throwing him a giant pillow from my bed. "Your mutt can sleep outside. In the alley. No one can see it-," "Ignis isn't sleeping in an alley, especially considering Ignis doesn't sleep. He'll stay outside the front door, no farther-," "But people will see it!," I whine. Sasuke shakes his head. "_He,_" Sasuke puts emphasis on the 'he' "is a Hell-hound, he blends in with the shadows," I look him over warily, and then head towards my closet.

"I'll get you some blankets. You can sleep on the couch for the time being...," My sentence fades as I hear Sasuke's soft laugh. I snap my head towards him, glaring. "What? What's so funny?," A horrible smirk is on his face. My grip on the blankets tighten. "I'm not sleeping on the couch...," He says.

"Then where will you sleep?," I ask cautiously. The horrible smirk widens. "With you, of course," My glare is, I presume, fierce. I was expecting that answer, but it's such a horribly aggravating answer. "You will not!," I shout. Sasuke nods his head, picking up a picture of Sakura, Kiba and I at Schlitterbahn. "Cute," he comments absentmindedly. I storm over and grab the picture out of his hands. I glare him in the eyes. "Don't touch anything!," I shout in his face. He rolls his eyes at me. "You're not sleeping with me-," I hold up a hand, warning him to shut his mouth. "-in the same bed. You can sleep on the floor," Sasuke tilts his head. "But i'm your guest," he says "I need the _ultimate _comfort," "Well then we can drag the couch in here," I scoff. Sasuke 'Hn's me. "Whatever works for you, princess," he remarks, walking out of the room.

A long sigh leaves me as I plop onto my bed, my back soaking in the comfort of the mattress. I close my eyes. I feel a wet nose on my forehead, sniffing me. A wet muscle rakes itself on my right cheek. I reach a hand up and scratch Pako's head. "This is going to be... terrible...,"

* * *

When I wake, it's dark out. Moonlight pools through my bedroom window.

A small, blissful sigh escapes me. Maybe it was just a horrible, terrible, nasty dream...

I creak and eye open. Was it a dream? I sit (regretfully) up and look around the room. Pako sleeps, cocooned in my blanket. Tck. Spoiled little dog... (A/N: Jake always steals my blankets away. He likes to be warm and stuff, but come on dog! Mama's gotta sleep too!)

My back pops as I stand. The bedroom door is still open. I waddle through it, looking down the dark hallway.

There isn't a soul in sight. At least, not in the living room. I turn my gaze to the dining room, which is empty. A quick glance at the kitchen tells me it's unoccupied.

A smile is about to break across my face, when I register something...

Water. A constant patter of it, echoing around me. I look at the window, and see rain. My fist clenches. Heartbeat accelerates. I feel a drop of sweat roll down my left temple. It's just rain... It's just rain... It's just rain...

Then I hear it. It's starts off dull. Then it gradually gets louder, deeper, until a big clap of it shakes the house.

I yelp, and run into my bedroom.

Pako lifts his head up, and tenses when I fly onto the bed. I grab him and bury myself under the blankets. I try to block it out with a pillow, but the evil sound keeps going.

Thunder. I hate thunder.

Ever since I was little, I have always hated thunder. I have despised it. I have loathed it.

I have been petrified by it.

Pako licks my nose, and I hold him closer. The sound dissipates, and I slowly start to relax. I sniff, and blush to myself when I realize I had been crying.

I lay still. Pako rests his short nuzzle on my shoulder, taking a deep breath and then letting it out with a choked up snort. I blink, a tired yet relaxed feeling consuming me.

I tense, once again, when I hear that dull sound start up again.

I shut my eyes tight with a whimper.

"It's been like this since forever...," I whisper dryly to nothing. I think I find comfort in my own voice, because I relax slightly. The worst part of the awful sound has passed, a small echo of the memory hanging in the air. Another one starts again, and I tense.

Soft, cold fingers wrap themselves around the back of my neck. My eyes widen as my face is pressed in a warm chest. I smell ice and pine. I take a liking to the scent. "You're such a baby...," No offense is taken to the supposed-to-be harsh words. The tone is soft.

Pako wiggles himself out from in-between our bodies. I hear him sneeze, and feel the bed bounce lightly as he jumps off. "Annoying little rat...," Sasuke mutters. I sniff.

"... where were you?...," My voice is surprisingly fragile. I feel Sasuke's chest vibrate with a chuckle. "You seemed pretty happy that you didn't find me...," I feel my cheeks heat up. "Be quiet...," I say. And quiet I get.

The thunder starts again... but i'm not scared this time.

_This is wrong..._ a part of me thinks _He's a demon, this is wrong..._ I push the thoughts into the back of my head, closing my eyes. I sag against Sasuke and he doesn't mind. The fingers trail down to my lower back, and a hand rests itself there. A arm (His left one, I think) encircles my shoulders. "... I kind of like holding you...," Sasuke murmurs, his voice deeper than usual.

I know i'll regret it in the morning but for now...

For now, Sasuke can hold me.

**/**

**Short chappie. Sorry. This is more like a... like a filler. X3 Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Who's excited about Madara's big entrance?! (In the anime, I mean) Ohh how i've wanted to hear his voice for soo long! Well, we're gonna hear it... a month from now... X3**

**/**

A warm, slightly hot sensation drags my eyelids open. The sun is glaring down on me. I grumble as I snuggle back into the warmth I _had_ been enjoying. I smell ice and pine... Ice and pine?

I open my eyes again, and see a chest (Obviously, not belonging to me). Up... and down... up... and down... Hm... Who slept over last night? My gaze travels up the chest, and I see a neck... past the neck, a defined chin... past the chin, lips... past the lips... past the lips...

"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!," I sit up and kick Sasuke out of the bed. He lands on the floor with a hard 'THUMP'.

"...the Hell?," I hear him mumble, before a head peeks over the side of the bed. I feel my face get hot, and I pull the covers up to my nose. "W-w-w-w-what in the w-world were you d-d-doing in... in MY BED?!," I screech. Sasuke claws his way into a standing position, his eyes surprisingly alert.. "You don't remember?...," he asks me "... It rained last night, and your idiot self got scared... I stayed with you the whole night, you didn't say a thing-," "YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF MY FEAR!," "No I didn't-," "YES YOU DID!... Why are you not all... All, groggy and stuff?," I pant out. Sasuke rolls his eyes at me, walking out of the room.

I sigh as the blanket slides down. A shift in the bed tells me Pako just jumped up. He rabbit jumps over, and then snorts while digging up a little bed in the sheets. He lays down and breathe's in a choked up breath.

The carpet is soft under my feet. I wiggle my toes a little, before standing and getting ready for school.

* * *

The shower handle squeaks as I turn it, and I jump back when the water hits my still clothed body. "Shoot...," I mutter. Whatever. I was gonna change anyways, right? I strip down and hold out my hand cautiously. The water is just before boiling point, and I turn it down some before actually stepping in.

My left foot is probably two inches from the ground, when I hear the door slam open.

I snap my head to the door, ready to beat the person who decided to walk in during my moment of privacy. Brown shaggy hair, gray Eskimo looking jacket... "KIBA!," I scream, pulling the shower curtain to cover my... private areas. He grins at me like a maniac. "NARUTO! I thought you were dead- AH!," he doesn't get to finish his sentence, because Iruka barges in and pushes him aside. "Naruto! Oh thank the Lord you're okay! I thought you were dead! I thought you were stolen! Where have you been?!," he grabs me in a bear hug, and I blush. "You're in soo much trouble! Do you hear me?!," Iruka's attitude changes fast, from relieved to angry. Sometimes I wonder if he's bipolar...

"I-Iruka! I'm kind of...,"

He steps back and looks me over. Once it finally registers that i'm naked, Kiba is shoved out the door immediately. Iruka throws over his shoulder before closing the door "This conversation isn't done with!,"

I drop to my knees with a sigh. I feel a migraine coming on...

* * *

Dressed and alert, I step out of my bedroom. I hear soft murmurs in the living room. Making up my mind, I creep down the hall.

Kiba, Iruka, and Sasuke are all seated around the coffee table. My migraine starts up again. Iruka 'senses' me with that weird, parent power he has and stands abruptly. "Naruto," he sets his hands on his hips "Sasuke has told us everything...," I stop in my tracks.

Everything?

"Um...," I (as casually as I can) spin around and stand next to Sasuke, purposely invading his personal space. "And... what would that be?," My voice is strained. Iruka frowns at me. "Naruto, you should have told me sooner. It's not healthy to keep secrets," What secrets? Iruka steps closer to me, and takes me by the shoulders. "No one is judging you-," I lift a blond brow. "-about being gay,"

"WHAT?!," Iruka lets my shoulders go to cover his ears. "I'M NOT GAY, YOU CRAZY LUNATIC!," I spin around to face Sasuke. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!," I shout. "Naruto!," I glance back at Iruka. "That's no way to talk to your partner!,"

Now it's my turn to cover my ears. "I-Iruka! Don't even-," "What?! Naruto! Kiba, Sakura and I have been looking for you nonstop, and all because you had a secret to hide! You should have came to us, we understand! But, eloping?! That's crazy-," "I wasn't going to elope-," "Don't lie! Sasuke told us-," "He's LYING!,"

I stop talking to catch my breath. Iruka gives me a fierce glare.

A hand drops itself onto my shoulder, and I get a 'tick' on my forehead. Sasuke's deep voice sends chills up my spine, and it bothers me that I don't know if it's good or bad. "Naru... Don't be so rude," I smack his hand off my shoulder. "You be quiet!," "Naruto!,"

"SHUT UP!,"

We all fall silent and look at Kiba. He's tapping his foot on the ground and rubbing his temples. "You guys are killing me...," he grumbles, a glare set on his face. I look down, shuffling my feet. Sasuke just stands there, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Iruka sighs and digs in his pocket. He pulls out his car keys. "We can talk about this later," He says lightly, walking towards my door. "Right now, you have to go to school,"

* * *

The drive was quiet. Iruka has a Honda Civic, so Sasuke and I sat in the back, while Kiba and Iruka (Who was driving... obviously) sat in the front. Kiba sat stiffly, his jaw set as his eyes glared out the window. (What's up with him?) Iruka looked collected, but his grip on the steering wheel was a little too tight if you ask me. My thoughts drifted to the problem causing the tension in the car... Why did Sasuke lie to them like this? I could have handled it myself... I glanced at Sasuke. He looked down at me, immediately meeting my gaze as if he heard my thoughts.

I quickly looked away.

Apparently the only people who noticed I was gone were Sakura, Hinata, Shikamaru, Tenten, Shino, and Ino. Choji claimed he was 'too busy' eating some food to notice. Hm. Thanks Choji.

When I saw Sakura, she barely even noticed me because of Sasuke. He still hasn't told me what he did with her...

I flush with anger when I think about them being together.

"Don't frown like that, it's un-becoming,"

I sniff at Kakashi. "You smell like dog...," I mutter, grabbing my bag and books off the table. I didn't even notice that the bell had rung... His eye crinkles and he pats me on my head. "What were you thinking about?," he asks. I sniff at him again. "You should take a shower...," "Obviously something troubling to you...," he pesters. I sigh and plop back down into my seat. He's not going to let me go without saying SOMETHING. "There's been some... stuff going on...," Can I really tell Kakashi? I won't even tell Iruka!

"Stuff?," Kakashi sits down across from me. He sets his chin on his left palm, leaning his left elbow on the table. "Yeah... some weird stuff...," I shrug. "Does it have to do with Sasuke?," I lift my eyes to meet his gaze.

Should I tell Kakashi? For some reason it seems right. Feels right. But would that mean telling Iruka? Could I tell Sakura? Should I tell anyone? Would they even believe me? They'd probably put me in an insane asylum!

"No,"

I stand and push my chair in, leaving Kakashi to his thoughts.

* * *

Sakura didn't wait for me after school. She didn't even tell me that she wasn't.

I frown while stomping down the sidewalk. "Whatever... not like I need her all the time...," I mumble to myself. "She's probably with Sasuke. That's all she thinks about. Sasuke this, Sasuke that...," My shoes make a screeching sound as I halt abruptly. "Does Sasuke like her like that?,"

I don't know why the question bothers me so much. Maybe it's because i've had a crush on Sakura sense we were little. And now Sasuke comes in without saying two words, and Sakura's fallen head over heels for him. If Sasuke does like her... Will he take her away?

I shake my head like a dog. "So what? Sakura's not that important...," But even as I say it, I know it's not true.

"Oy, Usuratonkachi,"

I feel a 'tick' on my forehead. "What does that even mean?," I ask as Sasuke strides up to me. "It's my pet name for you," he says "Usuratonkachi," I glare at his back. "Let's go. It's bad enough you have to go to school, we can't risk _people_ seeing you...,"

I frown again.

"Sasuke," I call, running to catch up with him. "... When are these... 'people' going to come? And how many? Who are they? Are you going to be able to handle them? And what about Iruka? Will he be safe? Will Sakura? Will all my friends be safe? And Pako- What about him? Are they going to come to my house first, orrr...," "Shut up, Usuratonkachi-," "Don't call me that," "-I can't answer so many questions at once," A light pause, and then I ask: "Why are you helping me?,"

Sasuke glances back at me.

"To help myself," is his answer.

I frown... again.

"How does helping me, help yourself? I don't have anything to-," "I can't explain why... Just-just trust me, okay?," I look down at the sidewalk, trying to avoid the cracks.

"Mutual survival," (1)

Sasuke looks back at me, his eyebrows slightly creased. "What?," he asks. I wryly smile up at him. "Well, we're not friends. We're not in a intimate relationship. And we're not enemy's. So, there's only one thing that's connecting us. Mutual survival,"

Sasuke stares at me, and then looks forward again. His eyes glaze slightly, his mind wondering. "Mutual survival...," He tests the words. I wait patiently, once again looking down at the sidewalk.

I hear him 'Hn', but don't look up.

"I like it,"**  
**

**/**

**Okay i'm sorry! I know it's short! But i'm gonna have more plot development next chapter, I promise!**

**So this is going to probably be one of the longest story's I will have written. The more I think about it (the plot), the more I add in. I'm going to be connecting this with the actual plot of Naruto, but add my own sick twists along the way. **

**Anyways, i'm really excited about this story! :) Thank you for reading so far!**

**(1) I got the Mutual Survival idea from a book called Eon Dragoneye Reborn. (It's amazing! You guys should give it a try! There's a sequel called Eona!)**

**Review please!~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright, here we go! And...**

*** SPOILER ALERT***

**SASUKE IS GOING BACK TO THE VILLAGE! OMGLOB THERE IS HOPE FOR THE SASUNARU PAIRING AFTER ALL! OBITO AND MADARA AREN'T GONNA KNOW WHAT HIT THEM WHEN THEY GET BITCH SLAPPED BY ALL THE RECENT HOKAGES!**

**/**

Five figures move along an abandoned forest path. The figures wear tight black uniforms, and animal masks over their faces. A Bird, Cat, Wolf, Dog and Dragon.

The only noises are the light pattern of rain, an occasional forest animal running out of their hiding spot, nothing but a quick flash of silver under the moonlight. The group stops suddenly, squatting on their heels except for one.

The Bird, who's standing, pulls out a scroll and opens it, spreading it out on the wet ground. By the voice, you can tell the Bird mask person is male. "We are running out of time before Hokage-sama sends the Hunter-nin. We need to gather as much information as we can before then. Akihiko," The Dog mask looks up. "How far are we?," Dog mask stands, and forms a seal. "One-hundred kilometers, or about sixty-seven miles, Buntaicho," (A/N: The leaders of the Anbu teams are called Squad leaders, Buntaicho's) Akihiko says, female. Bird mask, or the Buntaicho of the group, nods and squats, Akihiko following suit. "We have three days," The Buntaicho says "If the Hunter-nin come, and we don't have proper information, Hokage-sama will be dissapointed," The Buntaicho receives small nods from around the group. He stares down at the scroll, and then gives out a grunt while standing. The group follows. "I will not allow Team Hahen (A/N: Translation: Shard) to be discriminated. This is the last brake we will be taking. Let's go," A quiet murmur spreads around the group while the Buntaicho leaps onto a tree branch.

Akihiko jumps next to him. "Why won't we stop? We have time...," "Time is not on our side, Akihiko. Don't be foolish just because we might be close. I heard the boy got the information from an Uchiha," "The only Uchiha? You mean-," The Buntaicho holds up a hand, cutting her sentence short. He turns to the group who's still standing patiently on the ground, mindful of the conversation. "Do you all remember our target?," The Buntaicho asks. Nods are given. He grunts again, and gives a 'Move out' from over his shoulder before taking off.

The forgotten scroll lies on the ground. The ink already becoming worn and transparent. A faded picture, along with a paragraph is printed on it. A boy with blond hair, blue eyes, and three whisker marks on both sides of his face slowly melts away.

'Uzumaki Naruto,' The Buntaicho thinks to himself. 'I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into...,'

* * *

"You don't even know what you've gotten yourself into,"

I sigh and plop onto the grass. Sasuke's been lecturing me for an hour now, and he wouldn't let me sit. He wouldn't even let me stand. I had to squat the whole time. My legs are shaking, and i'm sure i'm going to have to go to the hospital for pulled tendons! Sasuke grabs me by my shoulders, and makes my back straighten. "Idiot. Posture," I slap his hands away. "Dang it Sasuke! This is pointless!," I shout, throwing my hands in the air. He lifts a dark brow at me. "Pointless? I just told you about all of the Genjutsu, Doujutsu, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Jujutsu there is to know. How is that pointless?," "Well i'm not going to be fighting! And besides, you don't even know if... PEOPLE are coming! I could be wasting my time for nothing!,"

Sasuke steps back a few meters from me. He stretches casually, looking at me from the corners of his eyes. "What would you be doing right now, that wouldn't be _wasting your time_," he asks. I glare at him. "Anything better than this," I huff and cross my arms. He 'Hn's me and brings his hands together in front of him. "Naruto," I look at him quizzically. "Watch,"

His hands move so fast I can't keep up. I watch as his chest expands, and then he shouts: "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!," I gasp and scramble to my feet when a giant fireball escapes his mouth. It burns for about 10 seconds when he releases it abruptly. A giant, burnt crater is left where he was aiming. He looks at me. "Name it,"

A pause, and then he yells: "Name it!,"

I'm taken aback, and manage to catch a breath. "U-uh... N... Ninjutsu?," Sasuke smiles at me. "Correct,"

I sigh again but don't sit back down. "I still don't see the point in this...," Another 'Hn', and then Sasuke pulls out three weird looking knives. "What are those?," I ask. Sasuke rolls his eyes at me. "I just got through explaining these things. I guess your weak brain couldn't handle it-," "Be quiet!," "-Whatever... Kunai," Sasuke holds up one of the knives. It has a long handle on it, and forms into an open-circle at the hilt. The blade looks like the bottom of a three-dimensional pyramid. "Kunai... What are they used for?,"

Sasuke gives me a 'What are you stupid?' look and I blush involuntarily.

"Fighting, dumb-ass," I flinch. He walks over and takes my right hand. "This is how you hold it,"

He places the hilt on my palm, and for some reason my hand forms around it naturally. I look up at Sasuke, questioning him. He doesn't say anything. He just stares at my hand. "I guess I didn't need to show you," he says.

A light sound escapes me and I quickly hand the knife back to him. "I don't wanna touch those," I say. "And I'm not going to fight, so what's the point anyways?," Doesn't Sasuke see i'm uncomfortable with this? I look up into those black abyss' I hate so much. "No one said you were going to fight...,"

"Good," I look back down to my hands. "I'm not capable of it anyways...,"

Sasuke's pale hand cups my cheek. He breath fans across my left ear. "I won't let anything happen to you,"

I scream and slap him away. "AHHH! SASUKE! PERVERT!,"

* * *

"Ahh... S-Sasuke I can't...," "Yes you can... Just a little more," "It's hurts!," "Almost there...," "Mmmm...,"

"Okay, you can stop now,"

I gasp and fall, almost face-planting, but Sasuke catches me in time. I groan and stretch out my legs, trying to overcome the dizziness that had consumed me.

Sasuke was making me do another 'training exercise', as he likes to call it. I had to hang upside down by me knees on a tree limb.

Everyday after school, Sasuke takes me to a secluded field to either learn new things or to train. I still don't understand what the training part has to do with anything. WE ALREADY AGREED I WOULDN'T BE FIGHTING!

But when I bring it up, he slaps it aside like a fly. 'Just in case' he says. 'You never know' he says. Exactly. I don't know because i'll never know when you NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING I NEED TO KNOW!

"Here,"

I stare at the water bottle Sasuke's offering. "Sasuke...," I start, reaching up for it. "Is there something I need to know?," It's cold. I open the cap and take a big gulp, coughing a little when it goes down the wrong pipe. "No," Sasuke says smoothly. "Why do you ask?,"

I shrug and take another sip, carefully this time.

"Alright, get up. Time for crunches,"

AHHHH!

* * *

"Ahh... I love the Waffle bar!," "Y-yes... You go e-every day...," "Maa~ I hate waffles-," "How could you say that?!," "I like pancakes better-," "Pancakes have no texture! They're flat!," "But pancakes are more original!," "So?!,"

I sigh and shove a bite of Crepe in my mouth. Tenten and Ino are at it again... Hinata moves closer to me and whispers: "S-Sakura... You should say something...," I smile at her and pick up a cut strawberry, admiring the red in it. "Nah," I say. "They'll be fine... Besides, who am I to intrude?," "B-but... it doesn't make any sense...," "What doesn't?,"

Hinata wiggles in her seat, glancing worriedly at the two girls fighting.

"W-what they're fighting a-about...," I grin at her. "Hinata! Tenten loves waffles, Ino loves pancakes... What more is there to know?,"

Tenten and Ino continue to bicker. I start feeling a migraine come on, so I shout: "Tenten! Ino! Your food is getting soggy!,"

They squeal and start eating, sending one last glare towards each other. Hinata smiles and peels her banana.

"Neh, Sakura," I look at Ino. Pancake is spilling out of her mouth. "Ino-pig! That's gross!," "I'm not a pig, Big-forehead!,"

Ino sniffs, and then continues. "Where's Naruto? I know he came back, but he always disappears after school. I wanna hang out with him!,"

I shrug and look down at my half-eaten food.

Naruto has been gone a lot. I haven't hung out with him in a while... My heart hurts when I think about how I treated him after he was found. I ignored him and only paid attention to Sasuke... That's right... Sasuke's been gone too.

A sigh escapes me and I stand, grabbing my tray.

"I'm going to go study," I tell the girls. "I'm not that hungry anymore...,"

* * *

Finally I got away from Sasuke!

I'm currently sneaking down the halls of the school. Sasuke went to the restroom and told me to wait there, but... Did he really think I would?

A small laugh escapes me when I think about Sasuke stepping out, a confused expression on his face. This is probably the baddest thing i've ever done-

"Usuratonkachi,"

Oh God...

I slowly turn my head. Sasuke's standing behind me, an annoyed look on his face. "Where did you think you were going?," I sniff at him and look away. "... No where important,"

A pain shoots up my shoulder when i'm slammed into the wall. It takes a second for the white to leave my vision, but I realize the person who attacked me is Sasuke. "W-what's your problem?," I ask. "I could have been someone else, you know," he says.

I feel heat creep up onto my cheeks. Sasuke's so close... and i'm facing towards him.

"Okay... you've made your point, I won't do it again...,"

A slight turn of his lips tells me my punishment isn't over.

"No, no... I deserve something for making me worry," His breath fans across my face.

I gulp and clear my throat. "W-worry?," "Mhmm... I thought someone took you,"

NO NO NO! MUTUAL SURVIVAL! MUTUAL SURVIVAL!

How have I never noticed how wonderful Sasuke's eyes are? I mean, I gave them credit, but now they're so close...

MUTUAL SURVIVAL! MUTUAL SURVIVAL!

My pulse accelerates. I smell mint and pine...

MUTUAL-!

Sasuke's lips brush mine...

"N-Naruto?,"

I tense at the voice, and shove Sasuke away.

Sakura's standing down the hall. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is slightly parted in shock. "Sakura! What are you doing here? I though it was lunch...," "It was," Her voice shakes slightly. I feel my throat tighten a little. "Sakura, this isn't... I'm sorry, nothing was going to happen-," "Really? Nothing?,"

Her green jades pierce my sapphires. They're full of hurt, anger and betrayal. "Naruto, is this why you keep disappearing?," I hesitate, and then say. "What are you talking about-," "I'm talking about how you're always gone, you don't ever have time for your friends anymore. Sure, you talk to us during school, but we can't hang out! Because you're always with Sasuke...,"

Sakura's eyes start to glitter with un-shed tears.

My own sting a little.

I look down to the floor.

"W-well, you're not the only one being ignored...," I manage. Sakura sniffs. "Huh?," "You... you completely ignored me when I came back... You barely even bothered to look at me. You were caught up in Sasuke so much, that you didn't notice your best friend who had been missing was standing beside him,"

I shut my mouth in a tight line. "Didn't you even care?,"

The loud tapping of Sakura's heels sound before her feet come into view. "Don't be stupid," She pulls me into her embrace.

I stand there silently. Sakura releases me after a few seconds, and I gaze down a little to see her face. "I don't know what exactly is going on," She says. "... But if you say it's nothing, then... I'm sorry,"

My lips twitch into a smile.

I'm sorry too...

* * *

*Knock knock* "Naruto... Open the door,"

"No!,"

"Naruto open the door-,"

"No!,"

"... _Naruto... open the door_ **now**,"

"NO!,"

Footsteps fade away and I shove my face further into my pillow.

I've barricaded myself in my room since yesterday. That was the first time I (not counting the demon one) have lied to Sakura. It's hard for me because Sakura is my BEST FRIEND. And... my first love.

The first time I met Sakura was at the park. No one would play with me. I always had the swing set, because some kids started a roomer that it was cursed since I sat on it. One day, a girl wearing a bright pink dress, her hair the color of bubblegum and her jade eyes sparkling, sat on the other swing of the swing set. I looked at her in bewilderment, and asked 'What are you doing?'. She just looked at me. After a few seconds, she said 'Swinging, silly!'. I tried to convince her to get off and go somewhere else... for her sake. 'You should go... the kids will bother you...' She shrugged and said 'So?'. Again, I looked at her in bewilderment. 'Well, do you-' I stopped talking when I heard her laugh. It took my breath away and I felt my face getting hot. When she stopped, she smiled at me. My heart fluttered and I could only stare. 'I like you' she said. 'Let us be friends'.

After that, we were inseparable.

In middle school, I confessed that I had a crush on her. We were standing under the old oak tree in the park. A gust of wind blew, and Sakura's hair whipped in the wind. Her mouth was opened slightly and her eyes were wide. A blush painted her cheeks. I could feel my face heat up. 'W... what?' she asked after a while. I gulped, and then scratched my arm before repeating: 'I... have a crush on you...' A leaf blew in-between us. It twirled around a little, before slowly sinking to the ground. 'Naruto...' I looked up at her. A small, sympathetic smile was formed on her face. 'Sorry...'

That one word broke my heart.

I'm sure almost everyone believes in being too young to 'love'. Being to young to be in 'love', I mean.

A few years after my confession my feelings for Sakura starting to be more... pronounced. Every 'Hello' every 'Goodbye' was precious to me. If I could talk to her for even a few seconds... It would make my day. I was sure this was 'love'. That this was what everyone talked about... But I couldn't express it with Sakura. Sakura loved me, but not in a romantic way. A brother way. I knew that.

So that's why I never told her.

Now i'm starting to wonder what my feelings are for her... Presently. Do I love Sakura? It's stupid, but I forgot about feelings like that until... Well, until Mr. McHotness came along. That's when I started to remember my feelings. When there was competition. Someone I have to rival against.

Sometimes when Sakura talks about Sasuke I burn with jealousy. I hate the thought that they could be together. I hate the thought that they would kiss, and hold hands, and have secret conversations, and go on dates. I hate that they would love each other...

But why do I hate the thought?

It's because I like Sakura, right?... It's because I hate Sasuke, right?

Then again... I don't really _hate _Sasuke...

"Ugghh...," I roll onto my back and take a few deep breath's. "Curse you Sasuke...," I mutter to myself.

"Well, that's not very nice,"

I slowly drag my gaze to the corner where Sasuke is sitting comfortably, reading a book. Probably one of MY books. "How did you get in here?," I ask. He doesn't even glance up at me. Instead he leaves me to silence. I glare at him and throw a pillow at him, which is easily deflected. "Go away!,"

He turns a page.

"No,"

I huff and flop back down onto my back. "I don't want to see you," His 'Hn' is quiet. "You're not looking at me, are you?," "Go away! I don't want to breathe the same air as you!,"

I hear the paper crinkle when he turns another page.

"Oh, I think you do... Considering the fact that, you were thinking about me,"

I lift my head up. "How'd you know that?," A slight smirk forms on his lips. "Well, you cursed me. Remember? You're an idiot, Usuratonkachi," "Be quiet!,"

I roll on my side, facing away from Sasuke. "You don't have to be so... so antagonizing all the time...," I mutter. "Maybe I would actually want to talk with you if you weren't such a jerk. A mean, stupid, chicken-butt haired jerk...," A image of Sakura flashes through my mind, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks pink as Sasuke just says one word. I grit my teeth. "If you weren't so mean people would want to hang out with you more. If you weren't so mysterious, people wouldn't be as afraid of you," A light tremble flows through my voice and I stop to control myself.

"If you weren't so quiet, so weird, people would acknowledge you more,"

Why does she like him so much?

"If you actually succeeded in acing a test, or knowing what the difference between Meiosis and Mitosis, people would think you were at least a little smart,"

And not just Sakura... Ino too. And Tenten. I think even Hinata... Choji was talking to him... So was Shikamaru, Kiba...

"Why does everyone like you instantly? What's so good about _Sasuke Uchiha_?,"

It took me years to earn everyone's attention. I've only been friends with Kiba for maybe three years now. Everyone else I only got to know at the end of last year.

"It sucks to know that you, a weird, mysterious, dark... demon can just walk in and have everyone like you,"

It hurts.

"I hate it,"

It's quiet. I don't hear Sasuke turn any pages.

My head hurts...

I slowly close my eyes, but open them a few seconds later.

Sasuke's standing in front of me. His uniform slightly ruffling from him moving. "Why are you so upset?," I shrug. There are no creases or wrinkles in it. The buttons are shining. "Why are you crying?," I feel what he means. My face is getting cold.

His pale hand cups my cheek. I think about when we were in the field, and he did that. _I won't let anything happen to you..._

His thumb slowly rakes across my right cheek, my left being pressed against the mattress. "Humans are pathetic to cry so easily," He says steadily. I nod. I guess it's true. "I hate to see you cry, though,"

I grab his wrist and pull his hand away from my face. "I'm going to go take a shower," I say putting my back to him. "Please go,"

I don't hear him move for a second, but then the door slowly clicks shut and I sigh.

My face feels hot.

* * *

"... make it quick. Bring the boy back here. There might be a way to fix this without any deaths,"

Five figures converse in what looks to be like an office. Four are standing and one sitting. One of the four standing steps forward. "But Hokage-sama," The person sitting lifts their head. "That is not our priority," The voice claims the person male who is wearing an intricate mask that is painted two different colors, gold and red, in a swirl. "We kill, dispose of the body, and bring the head as proof. To ask us to-," "I don't wish to kill the boy," The Hokage says. "I wish to have him retrieved. That will be your priority for this mission,"

The man steps back and bows deeply, the three people behind him, who are also wearing masks, follows suit.

"Hai, Hokage-sama,"

The four standing figures disappear. The Hokage sighs and lifts their head.

An old man, his wrinkles practically carved into his worn face. He sighs and rubs his eyes. "Uzumaki Naruto...," he mutters to himself.

The Hokage slowly turns in his chair and stares out a large glass window. The building he's in overlooks a ample village.

His lips twitch into a smile, and his big hat shades his eyes. "I wonder how big he's gotten...,"

* * *

"Again,"

Dang it...

I bend my knees and straighten my back. My arms are held out in front of me. I'm shaking with the strain. "Don't focus on the pain," Sasuke says, circling around me. "What... am I s-supposed to focus... on then?," I pant out. He shrugs. I close my eyes.

Sasuke's head, getting bigger and bigger and bigger (Like his ego), and then... When it reaches it's maximum, it POPS-

"Naruto~!,"

I snap out of my thoughts and fall on my butt. Did I just hear-

"Naruto~~!,"

Sasuke sighs and looks to his right. My gaze follows and I see Ino running towards us. Hinata, Tenten and Sakura trail behind her.

"Naruto~!," Ino exclaims again. "We found you~~!," Ino tackles me. The others reach us. "H-hello Naruto...," Hinata says quietly. I grin and try to pry Ino off of me. "Hey Hinata... Tenten, Sakura," Tenten matches my grin and squats next to Ino and I, who I have successfully pulled off. Sakura glances swiftly at Sasuke before smiling towards me. "So this is where you two run off," Tenten comments looking around. Ino frowns and sticks a pinky in her ear, twisting it. "I thought you guys would have been part of a secret spy organization, or maybe FBI agents... Wait, is that the same thing?," She takes her pinky out and wiggles it in the air. "Or I thought you two were... you know, an item!," She chortles at her own joke.

Tenten sighs and rolls her eyes at Ino. "You're so stupid," she says. Ino smirks at her. "Not as stupid as Big-Forehead," She sends a glance towards Sakura. A vein pulses in Sakura's... forehead. "Cram it Ino-pig!," She yells. Ino doesn't say anything, but they glare at each other... I think I saw lightning spark between them...

"What are you all doing here?," Sasuke asks. Tenten responds, since Sakura and Ino are locked in a glaring match and Hinata doesn't want to talk. "Well we were looking for Naruto, and you Sasuke, but we couldn't find you guys anywhere. We ran into Kiba and he said he didn't know, same with Shikamaru and Choji. So, just when we were going to walk home, Hinata thought about the park near by so we decided to go there. We sat on the swings for a little while, when we heard Naruto yelling," A smirk breaks across her face. "He's too loud for his own good,"

I flush at her comment and mumble incoherently under my breath.

Sasuke 'Hn's her. He looks annoyed. Hmph. I don't care, i'm elated. Going through those horrible exercises... UGH!

Sakura sits next to me, her and Ino done with their glaring contest. "Are you hungry?," she asks. "We were going to get some food," My stomach rumbles at the thought of food. I open my mouth to speak... when Sasuke cuts me off. "We're busy," The girls look up at him. "You can go... We might catch up later but probably not. Don't get your hopes up,"

I stare Sasuke in the eyes. What's his problem?! I hear shuffling around me, and when I look to the girls I see they're all standing, slightly huddled. They all have smiles on their faces. "Okay well...," Sakura starts. My heart starts to hurt and I look down at the grass. "Bye Naruto, Sasuke,"

Once the girls disappear behind a hill, Sasuke starts talking. "Okay, get up. Back into your position...," "What's wrong with you?," I stand and wipe my pants. "This is stupid Sasuke...," I grind out. His face is calm, he sends me a cool gaze. I send him a glare. "You can't send my friends away, you can't force me to 'train', and you can't keep me like a puppet on a string. I'm going to go eat with them, and I don't care what you do," The grass crunches under my shoes as I walk to grab my bag.

I hear Sasuke's soft footsteps as he follows me. My stomach boils with anger and I spin on my heels. "Go away!," Sasuke stops walking. "Go home or something! I don't want you following me around! Just... leave me alone!," I don't hear footsteps follow me for a few seconds. My stomach tightens. I feel my eyes sting a little.

"I don't hate you Sasuke...," I whisper. "You're my friend... we're friends... right?," Mutual survival doesn't matter anymore. It was just a petty little wall I tried to build between Sasuke and I. "I'm sorry I overreacted and yelled at you...," I need to trust Sasuke. I told him I did when he first explained things to me, but I lied. "I trust you...,"

Sasuke's bangs cover his eyes. Did I make him angry?... His soft, deep chuckle kind of reassures me. My cheeks sting a little with heat. "Naruto...," I look up. My heart beats faster.

Sasuke's... smiling. A real, nice, warm smile.

"Don't be stupid," He bends himself eye level with me. "We can be friends. I don't mind... as long as you don't act too stupid. And I already promised I won't let anything happen to you,"

For the third time Sasuke's pale hand cups my cheek.

I can't find it in me to push it away.

**/**

**Okay! Kind of OC Sasuke, but you'll find out later in the story. **

**So remember how I said that i'm mixing the plot of Naruto with my story line? Yes well, MY STORY LINE kind of plays a big part later. Because, i'm mixing it with the Naruto plot and... That's why there's a little bit of OC Sasuke. I'll try to keep him in character. Same with Naruto.**

**I hope this chapter was better! Next one we're getting action, and a SPECIAL SOMEONE enters!**

**Naruto: Brooke! You're making me into a big ol' baby!**

**Me: A cute big ol' baby at that! *pinches Naruto's cheeks***

**Naruto: Review... please...**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm going to re-watch Teen Titans. I'm already re-watching Naruto, i'm at episode 97 on the first part (I'm caught up with new episodes for Shippuden, and new manga for Shippuden). Wanna know why? Cause YOLO, that's why.**

**/**

"...o no no. Move that over there. Yes, the altar should be IN the church Kiba... Paint the bookshelves to where they look worn... Yes, yes. Dry-brush. Listen people, I want to try to be off-script by next week. Even if it's just one scene, please try!,"

Kiba and I share a look. Kakashi's in his 'Super teacher' mode as we like to call it. Every time we start a new play, he gets sort of... bossy I GUESS. "Naruto! Where are my vines for the balcony?!," And loud.

"Right here Mr. Kakashi...," I mutter, holding out some fake green and brown vines. He nods his head and directs me up the stairs leading to the balcony we built. "Okay, remember I want romantic, not hillbilly," I roll my eyes at him. "Isn't that offensive?," "Not to me,"

He hands me some black ribbon and prances down the stairs, yelling at Choji to not 'chew on the fake food'.

"Romantic...," What's romantic like? I shrug and start tying them.

After a few minutes Sakura comes up and I hear her quietly laugh. "What?," I ask her, lifting a blond brow. "He said romantic," she takes the vines from my hands. "Not apocalyptic," I slowly look down at my vines I had set up. They're scattered all over the balcony, not in any order at all.

My cheeks start stinging.

"Whatever... you do it then," "I think I will, thank you,"

Even after a few seconds I can see the improvement. Sakura sets them neatly, carefully, beautifully. "I wish I had a girls intuition," I comment. "Girls intuition?," She stands and pats her thighs a little. "What's that mean? Just because I know what 'romantic' is doesn't mean you won't be able to know either. It's not a girl thing. Doofus," I match her smile.

"Good job Naruto!," Kakashi hollers from across the theater. I give a sheepish grin. "Uh... thanks... But actually, Sakura...," He's already turned away.

Sakura sets her hand on my shoulder. "Let's go get something out of the vending machine," She pulls out some money. "I'm getting thirsty," I 'Okay' her and start following her down the steps.

The world lurches forward and a stinging pain shoots up my leg from my ankle.

I land on Sasuke with a 'THUMP'. We both groan simultaneously. Nothing but a tangled heap on the ground. Sakura calls out "Naruto!,". The pain keeps going, my whole right side starting to ache. Sasuke shuffles under me and then slowly leans up, bringing me with him. "Idiot," he says. "You're such a klutz...," My breath starts to become tattered. "How did... you know... I was falling?," I pant out.

He doesn't answer, but instead does the most embarrassing thing...

He stands and then slings me across his right shoulder. I feel my face heat up and try to scramble out of his grip, only succeeding in sending more pain up my leg. "Kakashi," He says. "I'm taking Naruto to the nurse," Kakashi nods and then directs his attention to the circle of people who have surrounded us. "Alright! That's enough! Let's get back to work! Shikamaru get back to painting that deer! Ino, Sakura, finish those vines! And Choji, get away from that fake food!,"

* * *

"Looks like it's a broken ankle...," Nurse Shizune says, writing something down on her clipboard. My breath hitches. "B-but... I'm one of the leads in the play! I can't have a broken ankle now-," "Don't worry Mr. Uzumaki, if you stay off it for a little while, it'll get better," "How long is 'a little while'?," She scribbles something else on the clipboard. "About six weeks, plus at least two weeks of physical therapy. It will be a couple of months before you can do any sports or physical activity's," My stomach starts doing flips. "Until your ankle is at least a few weeks healed, to where the swelling and bruising has gone down, you're going to have to stay home," She hands me a pink slip. A warm smile, and then the sound of her heels clicking away pound in my head.

"Great... This is just great...," I look down at the paper.

_Naruto Uzumaki, temporarily out of leave._

Out of leave? "This sucks...," Let's see... Six weeks, that's about a month and a half... plus two weeks of therapy... that's two months... and then... A couple more months before anything... physical...

AHH! What am I going to do?! The play's a month and a half from now!

"Yo, Usuratonkachi...," Ugh...

The bed (Nurse Shizune had led Sasuke to a room, and had him set me on a bed to relieve tension from my ankle) shifts and I stare at Sasuke's lower back, too lazy to meet his eyes. "I guess you're lucky," he says. "You won't have to train for a while," I frown and turn my gaze to my hands. "What's the point of that anyways?," I ask him. "I mean...," I listen to make sure no one's around. "... If i'm not going to be fighting... Why does it matter?,"

Once again I have the feeling Sasuke isn't telling me everything.

"Sasuke... Please, I need to know if... I don't know, if i'm missing something," When I look at him his bangs are covering his eyes. "So tell me. Please...," Maybe there's nothing wrong. Nothing I don't know... I mean, if there were, he would tell me... Right?

"Tck... Don't be stupid. What is there to hide?,"

I guess that's it then.

"Mr. Uzumaki,"

Nurse Shizune gently pushes Sasuke away from the bed and next to me, then leans over my foot. "Do you have someone at home who will be able to supervise you? A parent or guardian?," I glance at Sasuke. "Um... yeah... Sasuke's staying with me, actually...," Nurse Shizune sends a smile to Sasuke. "Good. Well Mr. Uzumaki, you're dismissed. If you have any problems, please call me,"

"Nurse Shizune?," She finishes writing yet another thing on her clipboard, and then looks down at me. "You seem awfully capable in this sort of thing... Medical wise, I mean. I know you're a nurse, but you exceed school nurses by far," Nurse Shizune blushes and giggles behind her hand. "Well thank you Mr. Uzumaki. I'm very flattered," I flush and scratch my head. "Ha ha... Well, I undertook some training by a very special Medical Nin...," She slowly trails off. I feel Sasuke tense lightly. "A very special doctor," The clipboard gently comes in contact with my head. "Have a good day, Mr. Uzumaki,"

She leaves Sasuke and I alone again. I sit quietly for a while... until Sasuke abruptly picks me up... bridal style...

"H-hey! Wait! I need a wheelchair or something-," "Nonsense. I'll carry you," "Put me down!," "No," "Sasuke!,"

* * *

Sasuke stayed with me the rest of the day. It wasn't surprising, since he won't let me be alone for long.

The day following Iruka came and offered to watch me while Sasuke goes to school.

Currently, Iruka's trying to get me to eat Chicken Noodle Soup.

"Noo! I don't even like Chicken Noodle Soup!," I whine. He just shoves the spoon closer to my mouth. "You have to eat something! Soup is the healthiest choice-," "It's not like i'm sick or something-," "You could be!,"

After a few more minutes of struggling Iruka sighs and sets the bowl aside.

"Thank you God...," I mumble. Iruka sends me a look. "Oh, i'm coming back with more later young man," Oh great... Iruka sighs once again before asking: "So, how are you and Sasuke?," That's a weird question... But I guess it makes sense to be curious. "Good," Iruka lifts a brow. "Awesome. We are just, wonderful," I turn my attention to my broken ankle. "... I asked him... I asked him to protect me...," That peaks Iruka's interest. "Protect you? From what? Are you in trouble, Naruto?," Yes. Yes I am in trouble. I've got demons after me and who want me dead. A demon, who apparently is on the run to obtain power so he can kill his psychotic brother, is living with me along with his big, drooly, fire-breathing Hell-hound. And what's worse is I think i'm starting to fall in-

"No. I'm fine,"

My face is hot and I have butterfly's in my stomach. What was I about to... think? Fall in... a coma. Yes, a coma. I have been feeling dizzy, and my eyelids are really heavy. I wouldn't mind sleeping for the rest of my life... or maybe just a month and a half from now (Till the play).

"Naruto, you're burning up. I think you're starting to get a fever," Iruka places his palm on my forehead. Right when he says it my head starts pounding. "I think you're right...," I murmur weakly. I didn't know I was this tired. He lies me down and pulls the covers up to my chin. "Get some sleep," Iruka turns out the lights and closes my bedroom door.

Just when i'm drifting off, my brain starts working.

Sasuke isn't here. He's at school. Who's watching the house? I know Ignis is here, but will he be able to beat up so and so demons? I know I don't care if he can, I want...

I want to call out to Iruka, but my head hurts too much...

I want Sasuke...

* * *

The sound of glass breaking wakes me. It's dark out now. I slowly, groggily crawl out of bed. A wave of nausea consumes me when I stand too quickly, and white flashes across my vision. My ankle is pounding. I grab my crutches and wobble to the door.

It's dark in the hallway. No lights are on. "Iruka?," I whisper. There's no answer. I continue and make it into the living room. Not a soul in sight...

A sliver of fear crawls up my spine. "Iruka?," My voice is normal now. My pulse starts to accelerate and I can feel the blood start to pound in my ears. My adrenaline pumping. "Iruka?! Iru-," A hand slaps itself over my mouth.

Oh God they're here-

I'm spun around and my gaze meets slightly glittering, dark eyes. I feel the adrenaline drain out of me, and fear makes a soft keen rack my body. "S-Sasuke, I thought they were here...,"

"Gomen'nasai (A/N: Translation: I'm sorry) Naruto-kun, demo watashi wa anata ga gokai shite kita kowai. (A/N: Translation: ... but i'm afraid you've been mistaken),"

My pulse starts to beat quickly again. I scan over the person in front of me. At first glance they, or he seems like a replica of Sasuke, but with short hair. Now that I look closely, I can tell they're so similar but so different.

Pale skin, a little paler than Sasuke's. His clothes are weird. They're all black except for two red leather straps at the shoulders. His left sleeve is cut short while his right sleeve is long. He's wearing pants, and has a bandage wrapped around his right thigh. A pouch is secured on his left glute. (A/N: Am I a Narf for saying glute? And yes, I said Narf) On his forehead he wears a strange headband type thing, and it has a symbol that looks like a snail on it's back in the middle.

He closes his eyes in a smile. It's probably one of the fakest smiles i've ever seen.

"My name is Sai, and i'm here to escort you,"

* * *

"Thank you for the escort Sasuke,"

Iruka hands me some papers he was carrying and digs in his pocket for some keys.

When I got to Naruto's he had been sitting at the dinner table grading papers. After a little chat he said he should go and gathered them. He didn't have his car so I offered to walk him home, to help carry the papers.

He takes all of them from me and disappears for a second, before reappearing at the door. "Tell Naruto i'll see him tomorrow when he wakes up," He says. I give a small smile and a nod. I turn and start walking down the stairs, when he calls after me. "Oh and Sasuke! You're friend stopped by earlier!,"

I stop abruptly. "Friend?," I look at him. "What friend?," Iruka thinks a little bit. "Sai, I think," He smiles and waves his hand. "He wanted to see if you were there, but I told him you were at school. Then he asked about Naruto," My body tenses. "Have they met before?,"

I didn't think they'd get here so early. How long has it been? A month? Konoha is farther than that, probably three months.

"I'm sorry Iruka, but I have to go,"

Ignis should hold them off for a little while. I'm sure Naruto has woken up previously... Damn it Naruto, if you do something stupid...

And... why is Sai here?

* * *

"E...Escort? What do you mean?,"

WHY AM I EVEN ASKING HIM?! I NEED TO GO! WHERE'S IRUKA?! WHERE'S SASUKE?! IGNIS! IGNIS HELP! GAH YOU IDIOT HE CAN'T HEAR YOU IN YOUR MIND!

"Naruto-kun, relax for a moment," He reaches out and takes my wrist. I try to jerk it out of his grasp but I end up falling backwards. He catches me and i'm put in the most awkward position...

His face is inches from mine, and his left arm is wrapped around my waist, his right hand still holding my wrist.

"Careful, Naruto-kun. We can't afford you getting hurt even more," ... "Ah! Let go!," "Alright," He drops me abruptly and I fall on my butt. WHERE'S IGNIS?! "Ignis!," I call. A few quiet seconds, and then the giant Hell-hound comes bounding into the room, towards this Sai person. I'm about to breathe a sigh of relief...

... when he gives Sai a big wet kiss.

"Down Ignis, you know i'm allergic to dog hair," WWHHHAAAATT?! "I-Ignis?! What are you doing?! Attack him!," Sai chuckles at pats Ignis, before walking over and squatting in front of me. "Naruto-kun, you should know i'm acquainted with Sasuke-kun," Acquainted? "We're friends,"

Something flashes through his eyes when he says friends.

I gasp and stare at him. This is one of Sasuke's friends? "How... how did Sasuke act when he was young?," Sai chuckles again. "That's a very odd question to ask, Naruto-kun. I expected you to be more frightened and maybe even unresponsive. As in, maybe you would have fainted," Does he think i'm a girl or something?

I can feel Sakura's glare as if she heard me say it out loud.

"Well... now I don't have a reason to be afraid," I say. Sai's face doesn't change. The fake smile is still in place. "Why is that?," he asks me. Ignis sneezes from behind him. "Well... You're Sasuke's friend. So, i'm not scared," It's true. Now that Sai is here, maybe he can help us. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Naruto-kun," Sai stands and lifts his hand in the air. "I'm not here to help you. Or kill you," He slowly reaches behind his back.

"I'm here to retrieve you,"

**/**

**Neh heh hehhhhhhh... Oh how I love Sai. X3**

**I was about to make it longer, but I thought about it and decided not to. The next chapter should be up soon, maybe even in a few hours. IDK. **

**Naruto: Am I going to die?**

**Me: Noo Naru. Why would I do that?**

**Naruto: I don't know Brooke, you can be pretty evil sometimes-**

**Me: Aww Naru you think i'm pretty?**

**Naruto: O.o**

**Sai: Review, please. *fake smile***


	10. Chapter 10

**Who else hates the SasuSaku pairing? I just don't understand it, and I hate the fans of it even more. **

***sigh*... If anyone wants to rant with me, just send me a message. (I'd like to rant with you guys)**

**Let's get this started... **

**Disclaimer: NARUTO AND NARUTO CHARACTERS BELONG TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO. Even though I want them to be mine...**

**/**

The loud clang of metal against metal resounds throughout my apartment.

Sai's holding a short sword... or maybe a dagger, I can't really tell. It's scrapping against a kunai... Where'd the kunai come from?

"S-Sasuke!,"

He's slightly straining from holding back the sword thing, but he manages to give me attitude. "Hm... yo Usuratonkachi. Being stupid again?," I let the jab slide and hobble behind Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, how nice it is to see you again," Sai says. He smiles but his eyes don't close. They harden. "It was just lucky when I stopped by earlier, Iruka-san answered the door. But I will admit I had been looking forward to seeing you Sasuke-kun, but as they say better late than never," Sasuke 'Hn's him and flicks his wrist, causing Sai's sword to be flung across the room and it smashes into my wall. I flinch. The manager is going to be angry about that... Sai blinks and then leaps back. "What are you doing here?," Sasuke asks him. Sai pulls his sword out of the wall.

"I'm here to take Naruto-kun to Konoha,"

Konoha? I look at Sasuke. Sasuke's village... I turn my gaze to Sai. "Why are you taking him there?," Sasuke asks. "Orders by Hokage-sama," he says. "Who's Hokage now?," Sasuke asks. "Sarutobi-sama," "Oh... so the old man's still alive,"

Now that my fear has gone, with Sasuke here, I have the guts to speak up.

"Who's that?,"

There. That counts.

Sai taps his headband thing. "The leader of the village. The Hokage," He sheaths his sword and sits, cross-legged, and pulls out... a scroll and some paint brushes.

"You're going to... paint?," I ask. His fake smile is back. God, how I wish I could rip that smile off of... Woah. That was a violent thought... "No Naruto-kun," Sai pulls out some ink and sets it beside him. "This isn't ordinary paint. I'm going to use it to defend myself," I frown and look at him. "Defend yourself from what?,"

"Sasuke-kun of course,"

I look at Sasuke. He sticks his hand behind him and then pulls out a slip of paper. I follow his hand as he sets it on my coffee table. "What's that?," I ask him. I quickly glance at Sai, and then back to the paper. He's staring at it intensely. Abruptly, and if I do say randomly, Sasuke slips his arm around my waist and presses me against his body. I flush at the unexpected heat. "What are you...," My eyes go back to the paper.

A small dot of red light starts in the center, and then breaks in a strange pattern that looks like a symbol of some sort. A sign is written on it... it's in Kanji.

"Explode...?,"

"Sasuke-kun," Sai says. I look at him. "Naruto-kun won't be happy if you do that...," It's silent. I look between them, urging one of them to explain. "Do what?!," I finally shout. They both look at me, and I have the sudden urge to punch them in the face. "Well you don't have to shout," Sai says. "Yeah," Sasuke agrees. "We were going to tell you,"

I detach myself from Sasuke and throw my hands up in the air, crutching (Cause of... you know, my ankle) around the room. "I HATE YOU GUYS!,"

Sasuke appears by me and once again jerks me to his side. I feel a vein throb in my forehead. "Let go!," I try to pry his arm away from me but he just tightens his grip. Sai stares at us with an amused expression. "Are you two an item?," He asks. "Sasuke-kun, I thought you were a-sexual,"

Sasuke's eyes narrow and he shifts. "Sai, I can't let you take Naruto. And I can't have you reporting to the village that i'm here. So there's only one option. I'm going to have to kill you," Sai's face is blank. The atmosphere of the place shifted, everything tense and heavy.

I can't host a full out brawl between two demons, especially in my tiny one bedroom, one bath, and small kitchen apartment. The neighbors will hear, definitely... AND BESIDES THAT, THERE'S GOING TO BE A FULL OUT BRAWL BETWEEN TWO DEMONS!

I successfully pull away from Sasuke and lean myself against the wall. "You guys can't fight here," I order. "Go somewhere else," Sasuke ignores me and continues to talk to Sai. "Are there others?," I freeze. I never thought about others being here... Sai shakes his head. "No just me. I intercepted the Anbu Squad that was on a recon mission on the way here. Hokage-sama had second thoughts. But now that I know you're here too, Sasuke-kun, I will need to withdraw,"

Sai slowly starts packing his paint and scrolls. I look at Sasuke, into his eyes. He's watching Sai, calculating, thinking.

"No,"

Sai pauses in the middle of picking up a brush. "No?," Sasuke shakes his head. "You aren't leaving," I inwardly sigh a sigh of relief. Good, Sasuke will take care of this. "You aren't leaving because-," Because Sasuke is going to kill you. He'll kill you dead. (A/N: I'm sorry, I had to. XD) "-you're going to stay here and live with us,"

**/**

**Ohhh. My goodness Sasuke, what's your problem?**

**Sasuke: You are.**

**Me: O.o**

**Sai: *fake smile* Review please.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ya know, I used to think NaruHina fans were always hated and bashed on. But now I see it's the NaruSaku fans who are always getting bashed on. -_- I don't even know why people bash on other pairings... Well I can't really say that, it'd be hypocritical.**

**NaruHina fans are always complaining about how they get bashed on, and how they can't get two words in or else NaruSaku fans will bash them. But really, it's that NaruSaku fans can't get their two cents in. Same with SasuSaku fans, but to me those fans don't really count because that pairing is so ludicrous that I don't think it should even be in the Naruto fandom. But, there goes me being hypocritical again. **

**I'm not trying to be all self-righteous, but really the only pairing fandom that doesn't necessarily bash on other pairings (In front of whatever pairings face) is the SasuNaru fandom. I'm not saying that because i'm a SasuNaru shipper, but because it's kind of true. When I go look at NaruHina stuff the only pairing fandom bashing is NaruSaku fans. Vice-versa. And then, somehow, SasuNaru fans will step in and give their two cents, but they don't bash or anything. **

***sigh* IDK. I'm just real tired of the bashing crap... I've said 'bashing' a lot, haven't I? **

**/**

I jolt and Sai's eyes widen. I step away from Sasuke in bewilderment, but lean against the wall when pain shoots up my leg. "W... What? Sasuke, you can't be serious?!" I finally shout. Sasuke stares at Sai, waiting for a response. Sai blinks. And blinks again. Once. Twice, three times. Then he stands. Sai gazes around my small apartment, then to Ignis (Who has been lying in the corner, the WHOLE TIME.). Then his eyes flicker to Sasuke. "And what makes you think i'd want to stay in a trashy place like this?" I ponder for a moment if I should take offence... No, it is pretty trashy.

A low rumble is heard from Sasuke. I'm not sure if it's a growl or sigh. "Look, I know you're already contemplating staying here. You don't really have much of a choice, in fact I don't remember giving you an option. You stay, then you live. You leave, then you die. I know that given the chance to back-stab Konoha, you'd take it and run with it. Ever since..." Sai throws Sasuke a pointed look. Sasuke continues. "Exactly. So, Sai. What's your answer?"

Sai once again looks around my apartment. He crosses his arms and settles his gaze on me. I try not to squirm under his look. His black eyes are just as intimidating and calculating as Sasuke's. While silence fills the room, my mind races with a million questions.

What's he going to say? If he says yes, where will he stay? I couldn't possibly cram another person in here, right? What will we tell Iruka?... If he says no, will Sasuke really kill him? What do we do with the body?... OH MY GOD! I'M CAN'T COMMIT MURDER! THAT'S A SIN! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!

Sai slowly raises his arm. When he stops, he's pointing directly at me. "I remember now." Confusion washes over me. "Yes..." Sai makes eye contact with Sasuke. I look up, and i'm shocked to see that Sasuke's eyes are burning with rage. "I see, Sasuke-kun. Hmm... How sweet. I can't believe I forgot that he-," "What's your answer Sai..." Sasuke's voice is cold and laced with malice. Sai tilts his head, thinking. He taps his fingers against his forearm absentmindedly. "This is all going by very fast, Sasuke-kun..." Sai murmurs. Sasuke crosses his arms. After a few minutes, a few agonizing minutes, Sai speaks. "Is it okay with Naruto-kun?"

I'm shocked, and it's all I can do not to say something stupid. I had thought that this decision was going to be made without my consent. "Uh... You want me to make the choice?" So much for not saying anything stupid. Sai nods and waits patiently. "Um... Well...," Well, what? I look up at Sasuke. He's watching me with a blank expression, but something flashes across his eyes. I have the feeling he's trying to tell me something. I frown a little. Sasuke's head tilts down just a little, and then back up again. So there's my answer, I guess. "... Yes. You can stay here." Sai smiles his fake, weird smile that bugs the crud out of me. "Then I guess we're now roommates, Naruto-kun!"

* * *

"Excuse me, but do you happen to know where to find Sasuke Uchiha?"

I clumsily turn around, setting my chin on top of the books i'm carrying to keep them steady. I scan over the girl in front of me.

She's got long red hair that goes down to her waist. She has a grey/purple jacket on, that cuts sort of in the middle of her torso, exposing her stomach. Black shorts, and long boots finish the outfit. When my gaze lifts back up to meet her eyes, I notice something... They're red. Her eyes are red.

My breath hitches and I sort of stumble back a little. She frowns, light gleaming off of her glasses. "Are you deaf? I asked you a question." I blink at her bluntness. "Um... Oh, Sasuke. Yes, he's staying with a friend of mine." "And who would that be?" Her voice is scratchy. Even a little husky. "Uh, um...," She lifts a brow. For some reason, I want to punch her in the face... "Naruto Uzumaki. He goes here, same with Sasuke. If you want to see them, go look for them yourself."

With that stark remark said, I turn on my heels and start to walk away.

I hear her boots heels clicking behind me. With a sigh I turn my head to her. "Look, I don't know why you want to see Sasuke, but there isn't anything more I can do." She keeps walking until she stops directly in front of me, our noses almost touching. "Look, pink-head I don't have time to waste. Where's Sasuke?" I feel a twinge of jealousy. Why does she even care where Sasuke is? "I told you, with Naruto-," "And who is that? What, are you going to leave me with nothing? Take me to them!" I have to bite my tongue from cursing. Get a hold of yourself, Sakura... I clear my throat and shrug up the books in my arms. "You want me to take you to them? Sure. But, there's a price. Carry these books for me." A defiant gleam starts in her eyes. She snorts and reaches for the books. I pull back a little. "Careful. They're heavy." I drop them in her arms and she starts falling, barely catching herself. She looks up at me with wide eyes. "What's in here?! Weights?!," I clasp my hands together behind my back and give her a closed-eye smile, forcing a light blush on my face. "Hm? I warned you, they were heavy!"

I turn on my heels and start walking, a smirk forming on my lips when I hear her muffled groans.

Sakura: 1. Weird girl: 0.

/

After walking a few miles, we finally arrive at Naruto's apartment. I check my watch. 10:37 p.m. Naruto's going to wonder why i'm here so late... I look behind me at the girl again. "So what's your name?" I can't believe I haven't asked until now. She sets the books on the ground, gasping for breath. Once she gets a few deep breaths, she mutters. "Karin." I blink. "Is that all?" Karin rolls her eyes at me. She points her chin to the apartment building. "Is this it?" I nod. "Which room?" I take a quick glance at the books before bounding up the stairs. Karin follows, right on my heels.

I knock three times before clasping my hands behind my back again. I start to hear footsteps and furious whispers, before Naruto opens the door. His eyes widen in shock. "S-Sakura? What are you doing here...," I smile and push past him, turning to were i'm walking into his house, but facing the door. Basically walking backwards. "I brought something for you and Sasuke!," Naruto looks back out the door. Karin stands there, arms crossed. She's tense. Embarrassed even. Naruto gapes slightly, and then making up his mind, opens the door even wider. Karin walks in, nods her head at him, and then continues into the home.

Naruto closes the door and stands next to me. "Um... What?" I shrug and go into his kitchen. Naruto follows, his bare feet pattering on the tiles. "Who's the girl?" He asks me, watching as I rummage through his kitchen. I barely glance at him. "She wants to see Sasuke." "Sasuke?... Could this wait for another time? Uh, we're busy and-,"

"SASUKE-KUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNN!,"

Naruto and I jump at the loud, long screech.

* * *

"Karin! Get off!," I try to shove the girl, but she's managed to get an iron grip on me. "Sasuke-kun! I missed you so much! Did you miss me? The others are on their way! Don't worry we'll get you out of this nasty apartment!"

"Ugh... I know my apartment isn't the best, but do you have to say it like that?!," Karin looks to the door, and I push her off. Naruto arms are crossed, and Sakura is looking over his shoulder, her hand on his arm. "So... I take it you two know each other well?" I'm happy to hear the spite in Naruto's voice when he asks. Karin sniffs and nudges her glasses higher up her nose. "Sorry, Uzumaki-kun." Naruto blinks at the honorific. "Um... it's fine...," He mumbles. Sakura looks Karin up and down, and then catches my gaze. Defiance glows in her eyes. I don't know what she's defiant about.

Naruto steps further into the room, Sakura right behind him. Her hand stays on his arm... "So...," Naruto says, breaking the awkward silence. "What's this all about?" Karin clears her throat and messes with her cuffs on her sleeves. "Yes, well. Uzumaki-kun, I hate to be of any inconvenience to you, but...," We all wait patiently to hear what she has to say. Karin looks Naruto dead in the eye.

"I'm taking Sasuke-kun with me."

Sakura starts to laugh.

**/**

**AND BURNN IT TOOO THE GROUND!... I was watching this ItaNaru SasuNaru AMV, with the song Burn it to the ground by Linkin Park. It was, really good. **

**Sasuke: Don't you have anything better to do?**

**Me: Uh, nooo. I have no life. LOL, JK Sasu-chan.**

**Sasuke: ... Never once, in your entire Naruto loving life, have you EVER called me by anything other than Sasuke and Buttface.**

**Me: Yeah well. So?**

**Sasuke: What's wrong with you?**

**Me: I'm trying to like you!**

**Sasuke: Well don't. It's fucking weird.**

**Me: -_- Fine teme. Review... please... Oh and, sorry for the shortness. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I keep on thinking i'm going to have to wake up and go to school. But then i'm like, wait, i'm out of school. SHANNARO!**

**/**

"Hokage-sama, I have a mission report." The Hokage looks up from his paperwork. The Buntaicho from the group Hahen is standing in front of the his desk. He rests a piece of paper on the desk, and gives the Buntachio his full attention. "It's about Uzumaki Naruto. Sai has already taken his position. The plan worked." The Buntaicho hands the Hokage some paper. The Hokage shuffles through them, and then sets it aside. "Very good..." Is all he says. The Buntaicho bows, and then seems to fizzle out of existence.

* * *

Everyone falls silent as Sakura cracks up.

She bends over, clutching her sides. A snort escapes her and she quickly covers her mouth, and blush forming on her face... But she doesn't stop laughing. Naruto looks at me and raises his eyebrows. I keep my face passive. Sakura's "laugh out loud" turns into chuckles, and then she's just catching her breath. Naruto pokes her back. "Um... Sakura, are you okay?," Sakura takes a deep breath and then speaks. "I'm sorry. It was just, really funny." Karin lifts her chin. "Oh? And why is that?" Once again, that defiant gleam shows in Sakura's eyes. "Well... It was just so abrupt." Is Sakura's answer. Naruto feels the tension in the air, and takes a few steps away from Sakura, his grip on his crutches tightening. Karin opens her mouth to say something, but stops.

She turns to me. "Sasuke-kun, is this your girlfriend?!" I raise a brow. "No." Sakura looks crestfallen. Karin glares at the girl and then looks at Naruto. "What about him? You two aren't together, are you?" I nod. "Yes." Naruto blushes majorly and starts waving his arms everywhere. "T-that's a lie! I'm not with Sasuke! Are you crazy?!"

Karin nods her head in satisfactory. "Well then who are they to say you aren't coming home." She grabs my arm and trys to pull me, but I plant my feet. "Come on Sasuke-kun! We have to go before the idiot gets here!" Naruto tilts his head. "There are more people coming?" He looks at me. "Sasuke, who is this girl?"

I look to Sakura, then Karin, then back to Naruto. "She's like me."

Naruto groans and takes Sakura's hand, leading her out of the room. After a few seconds I go as well, followed by Karin.

Naruto shows Sakura the door. When she asks what's going on, he says: "I'm sorry Sakura. Things are a little busy right now," he starts to close the door. "I'll talk to you soon. Bye!" He closes the door and locks it. Then he turns and presses his back against it, setting his head in his hands, his crutches leaning against the door. "There are more?!" Is his muffled shout. Karin scoffs and crosses her arms. "Talking like we don't have feelings." She looks at me. "Sasuke-kun, if we don't leave now then baka number one and baka number two are going to come." Great. Just great, like we need anyone else here. Naruto looks like he's going to have an anxiety attack already.

There's a creaking noise, and then Sai appears. Karin looks him over, but then ignores him. "Wow Naruto-kun, I didn't know you had an attic in this shitty little apartment." he says, wiping his nose. "It was very dusty. But that's no surprise since you probably can't afford Windex." Naruto glares at him while hobbling over. "Be quiet! I can totally afford Windex!... It's just that not getting any at all is cheaper... That's beside the point!" Naruto lifts a finger and aims it at me. "Sasuke, this girl needs to-,"

Naruto yelps as his front door is busted down.

Karin groans and adjusts her glasses. "Damn it. They're here."

Two figures appear in the doorway. One of the figure is much bigger than the other, and is almost not able to fit through the door. He has orange hair and is wearing what looks like hospital clothes. He has a kind face. The smaller of the two runs in. He has white hair that's got a blue tint to it. He has a purple sleeveless shirt and blue pants. His face is contorted into one of excitement, his purple eyes darting around. The weirdest thing is that he has sharp, pointy teeth like a sharks. A giant sword is strapped to his back.

"Juugo. Suigetsu."

Suigetsu grins a toothy grin. "Ah! Sasuke you crazy bastard, there you are!" I frown at the name. Suigetsu takes a few more steps forward but stop when he sees Karin. "Aw shit, you got here first?" Karin smirks at him. "Yes I did. So that means i'm the better of all three of us-," "No way! We just got occupied and stuff..." "Tck. Yeah right, you got lost-," "Shut up!"

Naruto inches closer to me. "Look what they did to my front door!" He gripes, grabbing my shirt sleeve and yanking on it. "How am I going to pay for this?!"

Suigetsu looks around until he spots Naruto. He stares for a second, before... his eyes change into hearts. "And who are you, my lovely little blonde?" Suigetsu asks, taking Naruto's hand. Naruto blinks at him and then hesitantly answers. "Um... Naruto Uzumaki..." Suigetsu smiles. "Wow! That's a beautiful name! Naruto-chan~!" Naruto looks to me for help. "Suigetsu! Baka!" Karin conks him over the head. Naruto takes a few steps back.

I decide to finally address the situation.

"You three listen up." The immediately turn their attention to me. "I'm not leaving. This is where i'm going to stay. There will be no arguments." It doesn't bother them in the least. Suigetsu shrugs, his sword swinging a little. "Okay, no biggie. We'll just stay here too, then." He gets googly eyed. "And protect Naruto-chan~! I assume that's why you're here, right~?!" I nod. Karin doesn't look too happy about it, and Juugo is looking out the window, at a bird.

"Hold on a second!" Naruto shouts. "What do you mean you're staying too?! You can't stay here! No way!" The trio walks in farther to Naruto's home. Karin grimaces. "I have to stay in this cramp little apartment with five guys?" She sighs. "At least there's Sasuke-kun..." Juugo walks to the window. "It has a nice view. Of the birds, I mean." Suigetsu plops onto the couch. "I call Naruto-chan's bed!"

I watch them for a little bit when I hear a door being slammed. When I look down, Naruto's gone. Sai points down the hall to his room. "Naruto-kun got angry." he states. I sigh and walk to his bedroom.

* * *

Sasuke opens the door and steps inside. Naruto is sitting on his bed Indian style, his arms crossed. His crutches are scattered on the floor. He's glaring at the ground. "What's with the tantrum, Usuratonkachi?" Sasuke asks sitting next to him. Naruto sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I can't have all of these people in my little apartment Sasuke! And plus, I don't have the money for this! It was easy to keep you and Sai hidden, but not another three people... And now I have to pay for the front door!" He turns and looks at Sasuke. "Plus, I have a life! I need to go to school, I haven't been to a bible study in a long time! I haven't even been to ONE practice for the play either!" He points to his ankle. "And how am I supposed to heal with all of this pressure?!"

Sasuke waits until he's done. He nods his head in agreement. "Yes. You're right we can't have this many people in your tiny apartment. And you do need to go to school... and you won't be able to heal with all of the pressure." Naruto lays back on the bed, feeling exhausted. Sasuke quietly stands and pulls the blanket over Naruto. "You should rest."

Naruto stares groggily at him. "But all of this stuff-," Sasuke holds up a hand, cutting him off. "Don't worry." He smiles. "I'll handle it."

Naruto drifts, the image of Sasuke's smiling face spiraling in his head.

* * *

A rocking sensation wakes Naruto.

He covers his eyes when a bright light hits them, but then blinks into comprehension.

Sasuke's carrying him somewhere, and they're outside.

"Sasuke..." he murmurs. Sasuke looks down, his face blank, as usual. "Where are we going?..." Sasuke sets him down and Naruto notices that Karin, Suigetsu, Sai and Juugo are all there as well. Sasuke points in front of himself. Naruto follows his finger and what he sees astonishes him.

A huge, magnificent mansion stands before him. Ivy snake sit's way up the stone walls, the height of the building is incredible. There's a staircase that lines the front of the mansion, leading up to the mahogany double doors. Rose bushes formed in an intricate maze-like pattern surround the home, except for a walkway straight to the front door.

Naruto stares, mouth agape. Sasuke finally gives him a little push. "Well?" he mumbles. Naruto snaps out of it. "W-what's this?" he croaks. Sasuke smirks.

"Well, I was thinking about what you said. About how you can't have five demons, plus a Hell-hound might I add, all cramped into your shitty-," Naruto flinches. "-crappy... little apartment. So, that's why we're not going to live there anymore." Sasuke hands Naruto a key. "Welcome to your new home, Naruto."

**/**

**Me: Awww! Sasuke, isn't that sweet?!**

**Sasuke: *light blush* Shut the hell up...**

**Me: Aw. Ya know I normally wouldn't say this, but... you're so cute! **

**Sasuke: *takes out shuriken* Say that again, I dare you.**

**Me: O.o R-review please...**


	13. Chapter 13

**You guys, I haven't been this pissed off at Sasuke in forever. If you haven't read the newest Naruto Shippuden manga chapter 637, don't worry cause this isn't much of a spoiler. **

**Sasuke, how the FUCK are you just gonna leave Naruto in the dust like that?! Hashirama said "boys"! Boys! Do I need to spell that out for you? B-o-y-s! That means that, both you AND Naruto need to chop your asses out there! Not: Oh I have to go, i'm just gonna block you, Naruto, from going up to Obito who's being weird and shit. **

**Damn Sasuke, you made me so mad that I could barely pay attention to the chapter. I had to re-read it. Poor Naruto's over here screaming his lungs out: "SASUKEH! WAIT!" (Yes, legit. He was yelling so hard that Kishimoto had to add and H.)**

**Me: "Yeah Sasuke! Wait motherfucker!" **

**... Ugh. I really need some Vicodin or something. I hope that my anger doesn't mess with the chapter. I might make Sasuke a little bit douche-y, but probably not. **

**Anyways, here's the next chapter. -_-**

**/**

"W-what is this?!" Naruto shouts, nearly dropping the key. "You're new house, idiot. Didn't you hear me?" Naruto looks at everyone and then to Sasuke. "No... no, I can't live here! I-I can't afford it! It must be like, twenty times the normal payment of my regular rent! And plus, this isn't even rent! I have to pay off a mortgage! This is crazy! I can't- It's just-," "I already have all of your important stuff in there." Sasuke interrupts. "What?..."

Sasuke gives Naruto another little push, in which Naruto finally responds to, walking forward. "Of course we can't have a crappy couch here, and a tiny t.v. there. You understand. So I put those in one of the guest rooms. We got new things for you, to fill the mansion. Don't worry about money, Naruto." Sasuke calmly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of hundreds. "Making money here is easy. I don't know why you humans complain so much." He hands the wad to Naruto, who stares at it, his mouth agape. "If you see what we would have to do to make money in the village, you'd think you're living the sweet life." He smirks. "Well I guess now you are."

Naruto's pace falters. "H-how am I going to pay you back?..." "You don't have to." They walk up the steps, Sasuke reaches the door first, then Naruto followed by Suigetsu, Karin, Sai, Juugo. Naruto turns the key in his hands. Sasuke knocks on the giant mahogany double doors. "I can't get inside unless you open it." Naruto swallows. It feels like lead going down his throat. He inserts the key, and unlocks the door. Somebody on the inside opens it.

A woman in a maids outfit steps through the door, smiling brightly. "Welcome, Uzumaki-kun." She greets. Naruto stumbles back in shock. "W-who are you?!" Sasuke answers for the woman, who starts to step forward to help Naruto. "Well we can't keep this place clean by ourselves. So I hired some staff members." Naruto looks at him in bewilderment, not quite sure if he should brush the woman off of him. "You just hired people?!" Sasuke pats Naruto's pocket, which holds the wad of hundreds. "Yes. I did, because I can."

The woman ushers Naruto in, and he can only follow dumbly as he takes in the interior of the mansion.

The floor is covered with Pietra Firma's LuxTouch, the most expensive tile in the world. It has an intricate pattern on it that Naruto wouldn't be able to describe. The walls are white, without a speck of dirt on them. Various pieces of art work is hung up. The high ceiling has a mosaic pattern on it. A huge main staircase leads up to the second floor, it's marble steps glistening in the sunlight. There are two halls on either side of the stairs.

Naruto has the urge to explore.

"How did... how long was I out?" he asks. Sasuke tilts his head. "Oh yes... About... four or five days." Naruto snaps his gaze to Sasuke. "F-four or five days?! That's impossible-," "Well I did... what's the word humans use? Oh. I did drug you, I suppose." Naruto feels his eyebrow twitch. "What do you mean you drugged me?!" Sasuke's eyebrows furrow. "You don't know what drug means?" Naruto sighs in exasperation. The maid hides a giggle behind her hand. "It was sarcasm! I mean, how could you just drug me like that?" Sasuke thinks long and hard.

"Because if you were awake you would have been a pain in the ass."

"How did you even drug me?" Naruto asks, ignoring the jab. "Well I can't say I drugged you exactly. When you 'fell asleep', you didn't actually fall asleep. I put you under Genjutsu." Sasuke thinks about what he said. "You're weak point is Genjutsu. We're going to have to work on that."

The maid steps forward. "Uzumaki-kun, I am Naomi. I'll be your servant." Naruto stares at the woman. "My... servant..." Naomi nods. "Yes. Please, follow me to your room." She turns and walks to the stairs without another word. Naruto follows.

He gaze slides across the paintings as they walk down a long corridor. "Wow... these are amazing..." He murmurs. Naomi looks back, smiling. "Yes. Luckily the previous owners of the mansion left them, so we didn't have to hurry and rush hanging them." Naruto shakes his head. "This is going by way too fast." Naomi giggles again.

"This will be your room, Uzumaki-kun-," Naruto cuts her off. "Could you just call me Naruto? Please..." Naomi nods. "Of course Naruto-kun." She opens a door at the very end of the hall. Naruto's heart nearly leaps into his throat.

The carpet is white, Naruto doesn't want to step on it, afraid that he'll stain them. The king size bed has black sheets, and a white comforter. The pillows vary in size and shape, but most of them are white, some with a black pattern added to it. A giant window takes up one of the walls, overlooking a garden. A door on the other side of the room leads to a roomy bathroom, and a desk. The tops of the desk are white, but the supports are black. A laptop sits on it.

"This is going to be... my room?" Naruto asks quietly, pointing to himself. Naomi smiles contently. "Yes. I designed it myself. All for you. Does it meet your tastes, Naruto-kun?" Naruto blushes. "You did this for me?" Naomi walks over to the bed, and pats it. "Tempur-Pedic."

Naruto nods dumbly, walking around the room. Naomi bows. "Well then, i'll leave you Naruto-kun." She walks to the door and grabs the handle. "If you need anything, just call me." The door closes with a click.

Naruto walks the perimeter of the room. When he reaches the window, he presses his forehead against the glass, looking out at the expanse of the garden. "... I like plants." he mumbles to himself.

The reality of it all hits him like a train. This room, this garden, those servants, this mansion is all his. At first he worries about the money. _Don't worry about money, Naruto._ He takes a few steps away from the window. It's a nice sunny day outside. A rush of happiness plows through him. He slowly spins on his heels and then does it again. A light laugh passes through his mouth. He kicks off his shoes and then runs, jumping onto the bed. Laughter rips through him until his sides hurt. He slowly gets a grip. Naruto sighs contently to himself. When was the last time he's been this worry free? Before Sasuke showed up? When he was still living in that apartment, slurping down a cup of instant ramen on a Saturday? When he was in a Bible reading? Another light laugh escapes him. No, no. He's never been worry free before. If it wasn't paying his rent, it was buying food. If it wasn't buying food, it was turning in a essay. If it wasn't turning in an essay, it was going to school in general. Remembering Sakura's recital. Calling Iruka. Feeding Pako. Pleasing God. Taking a shower!... Getting picked at the orphanage. Making sure not to make the older kids angry. Trying to get hot food before the others. No, Naruto has never been worry free. Not in his life. Not until now.

Not until Sasuke came.

He rolls over on his stomach and wraps his arms around a pillow, setting his chin on it. He kicks his feet lightly in the air. "Sasuke, huh?" he murmurs quietly to himself. Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. A demon. Naruto closes his eyes. He still can't wrap his mind around the fact that Sasuke's a demon. He doesn't look like one. Or act like one. He hasn't inflicted the wrath of Satan upon him yet. "Maybe our take on demons... is all wrong..." Sasuke had a family once. But then it was taken away by his brother. That seems like a pretty demonic thing to do. So... why isn't Sasuke like that? He's left his own village so he could hunt down the killer of his family, of his clan, who happens to be his last remaining relative. He's trying to avenge his family. "Maybe not all demons are evil..." But that doesn't make sense. All demons ARE evil... aren't they? Aren't demons only here to go by the word of Satan, to inflict pain and suffering on humans? And yet...

Sai paints. He. Paints. Karin is pretty vicious, but she's still a likable... person? Suigetsu manages to be a pervert. Juugo is the nicest of them all. He doesn't seem like he could hurt fly.

They seem like ordinary people.

How could they possibly harm others?

He sets his feet down onto the soft bed. After a few more minutes he stands and walks off of the bed, his landing is a little hard. "I need a bath..." he says to himself. He walks into the bathroom with the white tiles and granite counter tops, and goes over to the bathtub. "This is nice. Very nice." He turns on the water and feels for the temperature between hot and boiling. When he finds it he lets it fill. Naruto strips and then steps in, sighing in contentment. He lays there quietly while the tub continues to fill. He notices a button on the side of the tub, and presses it. Naruto yelps when six water jets suddenly turn on. He smiles and relaxes once again.

'This is sooo weird...' he thinks to himself. Naruto's never had anything nice like this. His eyelids start to feels heavy and he drifts off.

* * *

When Naruto wakes he's lying in his bed. It's dark outside, the stars are out and shining brightly. He blinks groggily and pulls the covers up closer to his chin. He wonders who changed him as he falls back to sleep.

* * *

The next time Naruto wakes, it's because of a hot light hitting his eyelids. He blinks them open and takes in the now lighted room. He slowly starts to remember everything from the day before and sits up. He yawns and stretches.

Naruto realizes he's wearing soft silk pajamas. They're white. "Hm... fancy color scheme..." he comments sarcastically.

"Glad you like it."

Naruto jolts and looks to the owner of the voice. Sasuke stands at the door, his arms crossed, and amused expression on his face. Naruto frowns and moves his legs over the side of the bed. "How long have you been standing there?" He asks. "Long enough... Come on. We're eating breakfast." Naruto's stomach rumbles at the mention of food.

/

The kitchen is bigger than Naruto's room.

Steel chrome counter tops stretch down the length of the kitchen. The tile is a black and white pattern. A door leads to a huge freezer, another to a just as big pantry. Naruto looks at all of the burners. "How many burners are there?" he asks. Naruto jumps when Naomi answers. He didn't see her when she walked in. "There are twenty burners, Naruto-kun." Naruto blinks. "That's a lot of burners."

"What would you like to eat, Naruto-kun?" Naruto answers quickly. "Ramen." Naomi's eyebrows fly up. "R... Ramen?" Naruto nods. "Miso Ramen with extra Pork... If that's okay." Naomi bows. "Yes."

"Come on Naruto." Sasuke murmurs, walking out the door. Naruto takes in the kitchen one last time before following.

/

Sai, Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo sit around the massive dining table. "What's it made out of?" Naruto asks, running his hand along the smooth surface. "Marblewood." Naomi says. Naruto jolts. "I thought you were making ramen..." Naomi tilts her head. "We have a Chef to do that, Naruto-kun. I'm your servant, meaning I follow you and attend to your needs." Naruto stares for a second before greeting everyone at the table. Suigetsu moves next to him. "I tried to sleep in your bed, but Sasuke was guarding your door like a dog. The bastard." He mutters, glaring at Sasuke. I feel my face get hot at the news. "Shut up Suigetsu!" Karin yells. "Eh?! Don't tell me to shut up! I was just having a conversation with Naruto-chan! Crazy bitch." "Who're you calling a bitch?!" "You!"

Juugo looks to Naruto, both of them ignoring the pointless fight going on. "Naruto-kun, how did you sleep?" "Um... I crashed hard." Naruto says, scratching the back of his head. "What about you?" Juugo blinks. "I didn't sleep."

Naruto, feeling the conversation is over, looks around for Sai. He's drawing at the far end of the table. "Sai?" The person in question looks up from drawing. "Yes?" "What are you doing down there? Come over here." Sai stands and does as he's told, sitting next to Juugo on Naruto's right. Naruto looks down at his drawing. It's a big swirl of color. Even though it looks easy to do, it manages to draw your attention. "Wow Sai. That's beautiful." Naruto comments. Sai nods his head. "Thank you."

Naruto looks down at the table and waits for his ramen to arrive.

**/**

**Yo yo yo, how's that for updating soon, huh? Hm... Luckily my anger didn't ruin the chapter. Sorry it's short, but i've already started working on the other chapter to don't worry.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ah... it's that time of the month... Damn.**

**/**

Naomi is making Naruto's bed when Sasuke comes in. "Excuse me but do you know where Naruto is?" He asks her. Naomi points to the window. "He's out in the garden."

* * *

Naruto has a bright smile on his face as he walks around the massive garden. "The pinks and purples of the Camellia's and the Hyacinth blend beautifully together..." He says to himself. "They should have put the Aloe around the Agave's, though... I wonder what type of cactus that is."

He reaches a pathway that leads into the rosebush maze surrounding the mansion. Naruto follows it.

The roses are all red. Naruto reaches out and lightly touches a thorn. He presses too hard and it pokes him, breaking the skin. His eyebrows furrow as he sucks on his finger. He continues to walk, looking down at the gravel pathway. "I wonder who was here when they watched them grow..." He reaches an open area, with three different pathways to choose from. Naruto, instead of choosing, sits on the bench in the middle.

He decides to think.

He needs to go back to school, contact Iruka, and contact his friends. Do they even know he's here? Do they know that he now lives in a giant, expensive mansion? When he gets back he'll call them... He hasn't been to a Bible reading in forever. He's probably real behind in school work too. Also, there's the play. It's been about three weeks or so since he broke it. A thought occurs to Naruto and he looks down.

What he sees chills him to the bone.

His ankle is fine. Fixed. Not broken at all.

Heart beating, Naruto stands and lightly leans to his right. Nothing.

No pain at all.

"Hn. Finally."

Naruto snaps his eyes open. A white, sort of grimy ceiling. He feels sweat roll down his temples. He blinks and then looks around.

He's in his small, tight packed room again. He furrows his brows and grabs his head, that's pounding. "W-what?" He asks out loud, totally confused. He looks around again and finds Sasuke sitting on the side of his bed.

His eyes are red with three tomoe spinning slowly around his pupil.

"What... what's going on?" Naruto asks again. Sasuke has a disappointed look on his face. "That, was Genjutsu." The red in his eyes fades in a flash. "Yes... Genjutsu is definantly your weak point."

* * *

I stare at Sasuke in bewilderment. "You mean... none of that was real?" He shakes his head, eyes locked on me. A surge of anger consumes me. "So you just let me believe it was?!" Sasuke simply rolls his eyes at me.

"Naruto, there are going to be times where I might be caught up in something. There are going to be times where you might have to fight. It might be Taijutsu. It might be Ninjutsu. It might be Juijutsu. It might be Genjutsu. So far, you haven't had much training with any of them. In fact, you haven't had any training with any of the four at all. Since you have a broken ankle, you can't use Ninjutsu, Taijutsu or Juijutsu yet. So my only option, for now, was Genjutsu.

That's your weak point, I can already tell."

I grip the sheets tightly, my knuckles start to turn white. "... This sucks..." I whisper. "I can't believe you did that... You took everything away." Sasuke shrugs carelessly and stands. "I'll leave you alone now. But tomorrow we're going it again. Oh, before you go to sleep Karin is going to heal you." I watch him leave quietly. When the door shuts, I do something I've never done before.

I cuss.

"Fuck!"

I fall back onto the sheets, my hand covering my mouth. A strange feeling rushes through me. I recognize it.

Excitement.

* * *

"You can go in now." I tell Karin, walking into the packed living room. She grimaces. "But Sasuke-kun! I'm only for you!" I sit on the couch and push Suigetsu's feet off. "Naruto doesn't want shoes on the furniture." I tell him.

Karin, not liking being ignored, stomps out of the room.

* * *

Karin opens the door quietly, peaking in. Naruto lays on the bed, a strange looking grin on his face. "Um... Naruto..." He looks up and waves her in, the grin still there. She closes the door and walks over to sit on the bed.

"What i'm going to do is hold out my arm. You'll bite it and suck in my chalkra. Do you understand?" The grin is wiped off of his face. "I'm gonna do what now?" Karin curses under her breath. "Sasuke hasn't explained chalkra to you yet, huh?" Naruto shakes his head. Karin sticks out her arm. "Whatever! Just bite it and suck! I'm sure Sasuke will tell you later..." Naruto is hesitant, but does as he's told.

Karin bites her lip to keep from crying out in pleasure.

Thirty seconds go by and she pulls away. Naruto looks at her, confused. "Hm? Are we done?" he asks. She nods and suddenly grabs his ankle and starts shaking it. Naruto tenses, expecting pain, but... nothing happens. "Woah... what the..." He looks up at her. "What'd you do?" Naruto notices his head ache is gone as well.

Karin is already at the door. "Ask Sasuke."

* * *

When Naruto wakes it's around midnight. For some reason he doesn't feel groggy. He stands and walks into his living room. A pang of hurt stabs at his heart when he thinks about that mansion.

It had all seemed so real.

When he enters the living room the first thing he notices is that everyone's awake. "Don't you guys ever sleep?" he asks. Suigetsu smiles. "Naruto-chan! Was Sasuke mean to you!" Naruto gives Sasuke a look before leaving them to make some ramen. "Yes..." he murmurs to himself.

Naruto presses the four button and leans back on the counter, watching the seconds go by. He doesn't notice Sasuke walking in. "... Naruto..." Naruto doesn't even look at him. Sasuke clears his throat and switches his weight from his left to his right. "... Sorry." Naruto doesn't say anything. Sasuke holds in a sigh. "Are you mad?" Naruto crosses his arms. "I'm not mad." Sasuke looks him over. "You seemed mad-," "Well i'm not!" A few more awkward seconds and the microwave beeps. Naruto gently takes out the cup. He chooses to eat on the counter, setting the cup down and jumping up. "In fact...," he murmurs, peeling off the paper lid. "I'm actually kind of happy..."

Sasuke raises a brow at that. "What?" Naruto bites the fork, a smile working around it. "I... cussed..." A giggle escapes him. Sasuke watches quietly, amused by this other side of Naruto. This new Naruto.

... The old Naruto.

"Oh?" he asks. Naruto laughs, the sound echoing around the room. "I've never done that before! It was exhilarating! I mean... Ha ha haa!"

Sasuke feels a smile twitch onto his face. "... You have a nice laugh." he comments. Naruto chuckles and bites on the fork again. His head hangs back lazily and he stares at Sasuke, his free arm supporting him, his eyes half-mast. "I feel like... like i've met you before..." he whispers. Something flickers in Sasuke's eyes. "You do?" Naruto nods. "Yeah... Like... Something like, we were best friends or..." Naruto frowns and rubs his head. "Ow..."

Sasuke walks over and helps Naruto off of the counter. He leads him out of the kitchen and through the living room, to Naruto's bedroom. Sasuke ignores Sai's stare.

Naruto flops onto the bed, his head once again starting to hurt. Sasuke says "Go to sleep." Naruto pulls the covers up to his chin and murmurs groggily: "You aren't going to put me under Genjutsu again, are you?" Sasuke shakes his head. "We can work on that later." Naruto nods and closes his eyes.

Sasuke watches him for a few seconds before turning to leave. He's prevented by a tug on his sleeve. "Wait... stay here..." Naruto's voice is barely a whisper. Sasuke sits in the chair beside the bed, and watches as Naruto's breathing evens out.

**/**

**Yeah I know it's short again, but I just feel like delivering a lot today. :3 Ha ha! Mind-fuck! How many of you caught on that it was Genjutsu? Or more like, when did you catch on? Review please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**If I can't have SasuNaru, I damn well better get NaruSaku. **

**/**

Sasuke sits next to Suigetsu and Karin on the couch. "So Sasuke, what's the plan?" Suigetsu asks while clicking through channels on the t.v.. Karin snatches the remote away and turns the t.v. off. "If you're going to ask, at least look like you're serious!" she furiously whispers, hitting him on the head. Suigetsu glares at her and rubs the forming lump.

Sasuke sighs at their stupidity. "Well now that you're all here, we can talk about certain things..." Sai interrupts, saying: "So this was the plan all along. You were just waiting for these three to arrive." Sasuke nods his head. "Yes, you were the unexpected twist but i'm sure you can help. What you'll be doing is one of the most important things for Naruto." Sai waits patiently with a blank expression. "You're going to be teaching Naruto how to hide his emotions. You can read him like a damn book, and that could jeopardize us if we're on some sort of mission." Sai chuckles at the thought of teaching Naruto something that will be difficult for him. Sasuke turns to Karin. "You're the best at chakra, so I believe you know what you'll be teaching him." He looks to Suigetsu, ignoring Karin's groan. "Ninjutsu." Suigetsu grins. Sasuke looks to Juugo. "Taijutsu." He leans back and crosses his arms. "And then, of course, i'll be doing Genjutsu. But Naruto has no talent in that area, so i'll just be teaching him how to break it. But before we do all that, he needs to learn chalkra control. Karin, you'll start that tomorrow after he eats."

Karin leans forward and pushes up her glasses. "Neh Sasuke, i've been wondering... You want us to teach Naruto all of these things... Does that mean he's capable?" " I don't understand..." Sasuke says carefully. Karin smirks. "I mean is... no. I mean that he isn't human." Sasuke watches her quietly. Karin leans back in content. "And he doesn't know that, correct? Just how long do you plan on hiding this secret? You're going to lose his trust. But before you tell him, you should tell us so we can be careful."

A few long minutes pass before Sasuke speaks.

"Naruto used to live in the village. He's a part of a dead clan. The Uzumaki Clan." Karin's eyebrows fly up. "But his hair..." "I know. I have no information on that... An incident happened and the Kyuubi (A/N: Nine-tails) was released the day Naruto was born. The Yondaime Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto, making him the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." "Who were his parents?" Juugo asks. Sasuke shrugs. "I don't know." Suigetsu whistles. "Daamn... So Naruto-chan's holding all of that in him, huh?" He wraps his arms around himself. "Ahh~! As expected of that cute little blonde!" Karin gives him a crazy look. "Need I remind you that you just met him yesterday! Not even, you met him around 4 hours ago!" "So?! Love is what i've found-," "Lies!"

Sasuke waits until their banter is finished. "Are you done? Because i'd like to access the situation we're in." They quiet down again and Sasuke continues. "I don't know what Konoha is planning to do with Naruto, considering they're the ones who had him leave. I don't know why they're moving now, but whatever the case is we need to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. But the most important thing is the Akatsuki." Sai pulls out a piece of paper and starts to draw. "The Akatsuki are a team of ten members of highly ranked rogue shinobi. They aren't people who we can underestimate." "Who are the members?" Karin interrupts, her arms crossed. Sasuke looks to Juugo.

"Deidara. He has the Seiryu (A/N: Azure Dragon.) ring. He masters his _art_, explosive clay. Hidan. He has the San (A/N: Three) ring. Hidan possesses immortality, and inflicts harm on himself to defeat his opponents. Kakuzu. He has the Hoku (A/N: North) ring. Kakuzu's body is stitched together by strange tendrils which he uses to rip out the hearts of his opponents and then insert into his own body, in which he gains their elemental affinities. Hoshigaki Kisame. He holds the Minami (A/N: South) ring. He was a part of the Seven Swordsman, so his skills are with the sword. Sasori. He has the Tama (A/N: Sphere) ring. He is a master of puppeteering. Zetsu. He holds the Kai (A/N: Boar) ring. Zetsu is an artificial human. He was created by Uchiha Madara. His main body is split into two half's, both white and black. The White Zetsu is able to make clones of himself which can communicate over short distances... Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke's fist clenches at the mention of his brothers name. "... He holds the Shu (A/N: Scarlet) ring. Itachi is a master with the Sharingan, and holds the Mangekyou Sharingan... They have a new member, who isn't exactly a member yet I suppose because he doesn't have a ring. His name is Tobi. He wears a mask... I don't know much about his abilities. And then, there's their former member Orochimaru. He has the Sora (A/N: Sky) ring. He tampers with forbidden jutsu's and such... I don't think he'll be much of a problem. Their leader is Pain. There are six Realm body's that he uses as puppets. I don't know where the actual controller is. He's the hardest to handle."

Juugo sits back once again. There's silence, and then Suigetsu speaks up. "So... what's the problem with them? Why are they important at all?" Sasuke looks every one of them in the eye.

"The Akatsuki are hunting down the Jinchuuriki."

Karin's the first to react. "So that means Naruto is on their list." Sasuke nods. "They haven't taken any Bijuu (A/N: The tailed beasts.) yet, so I don't know if they're starting from one and up, or starting from nine and down. But they are on the move so we have to take precautions. If you happen to have a run in with any of them, try not to fight." Everyone nods their heads in agreement. "Good."

Sasuke stands. "Eh? Where do you think you're going?" Karin asks him. "It's late." Karin grabs Sasuke's sleeve, forcing him to stop. "First you have to tell us... Why now? Why come to Naruto now? I want to know about your past with him." Sasuke pulls his sleeve away and continues to walk. "That's none of your business."

* * *

Sasuke quietly slides through Naruto's bedroom door and shuts it. He walks over to the chair next to Naruto's bed, and once again sits. He watches Naruto, patiently waiting for the sun to come up. "Don't worry Naruto..." Sasuke whispers softly. "I'm sure you'll remember soon..."

* * *

Naruto stuffs some egg into his mouth. He observes the behavior of his new roommates. Sai usually speaks when he feels, like to make a remark to Naruto. He's currently sitting at the table with Naruto, drawing. Suigetsu is a pervert, and Naruto isn't going to think of him as anything us otherwise. He seems lazy, for he lays on the couch most of the time. Juugo is definantly the quietest one. He's a speak when spoken to type of person. Karin is the scariest. She's pretty nice to Naruto, but to him it seems like she's just putting up with him for Sasuke.

'Speak of the Devil...' Naruto thinks, watching as Sasuke walks over. He bends down and whispers in Naruto's ear. "I'm going out. I'll be back. You're going to be training with Karin for today." Naruto's eyes bulge at the sound of that. "W-what?" he whispers back. Sasuke smirks and presses his lips against Naruto's ear. "Have fun."

Naruto blushes and swats him away. A few seconds later the front door shuts, signaling Sasuke's departure.

Karin is up immediately. "Come on Naruto. Let's get this over with." Naruto quickly picks up his plate and runs to the kitchen. He comes back into the room a few seconds later and follows Karin out the door. 'She sounds less excited about this than I am...' he thinks to himself.

/

Karin takes Naruto to the exact same field him and Sasuke had been in a few weeks ago.

She turns around and puts her hands on her hips. "So... I guess I should start by explaining what chakra is. Chakra: The resulting form of energy produced when Physical and Spiritual energies are mixed together within the body. Once you have mastered chakra control, you can expel it through hand seals and such... So what's really the key here is not actually **having** chakra, but being able to sufficiently control it. Which brings us to what we're going to do today, Chakra Control." Naruto stares at her, actually intent on learning. "Molding chakra involves the extraction of energies from both the body's cells and the mind's consciousness, then mixing them together within the individual, which is you. The amount that you extract depends on the jutsu you're using, and how much will be needed for that jutsu. If you use too much or too little chakra, then you'll be using it inefficiently. Also, even if you are able to mold the right amount of chakra, if you can't manipulate it to make it take shape or to do what you need, then your jutsu will not be as effective or won't work at all." Naruto holds up his hand. "Should I... be writing this down?"

Karin sighs and pushes up her glasses. "Maybe I should show you what we'll be doing. It will be difficult for you, but you should get the hang of it in a few days." Naruto watches as Karin presses her hands together, the right index and middle finger extended upwards. "This is a seal... Watch my feet, Naruto." she says. He does as he's told, and his eyes widen considerably at what he sees.

A blue light is shining around her feet.

"W-woah!" he shouts, bending to get a closer look. Karin releases her seal and walks over to a tree. "When you can master your chakra, you'll be able to do this." She presses her right foot against the tree. Naruto watches carefully, looking for what she's talking about... Karin easily lifts her left foot and takes a step forward...

Up the tree.

Naruto watches in amazement as she walks up the length of the tree. When she reaches the middle, she turns and looks down at him, her hair falling down and cupping her face. "Hm. Pretty cool huh?" she asks, pride in her voice. Naruto nods. Karin jumps down and lands gracefully next to him. "Now listen Naruto, this isn't something you're going to get on your first or second time. It's going to take practice." Naruto nods again, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Remember what I said about manipulating your chakra and having a steady flow of it? Well you're going to need that, or else-," she lifts her hand to the tree, and then points to the ground. "-you will fall."

Naruto bites his lip, thinking about the crash landing he's probably going to have... multiple times. "Now, you need to pump chalkra into your feet. Keep a steady flow. If your weak on one part, that jeopardizes everything. Try to gather the chakra at your feet."

Naruto forms the seal that Karin did just seconds ago. He concentrates.

A sudden boost of energy explodes within him. Without hesitating he wills it to his feet, feels the flow of the energy in him. Naruto releases the seal and runs to the tree.

He sets his foot on it and lifts the other one up. He expects himself to fall at that moment but he keeps going... and going... and going... He hears Karin gasp and he looks down.

He's made it past the middle of the tree and is standing upside down from a branch.

"... Holy..." is all he can say. Karin stands below the tree, a bewildered look on her face. "N-Naruto! I can't believe..." Naruto feels a rush of excitement. "H-Ha ha! Look! Look I did on my first try! I'm awesome! How many times did it take you? Cause it only took me once! Ha ha h-," his laugh is cut off when his foot literally pops off of the bark. Karin shrieks and Naruto screams.

A smack echos through the field.

Naruto has his eyes closed, but he doesn't feel any pain. Actually, the only thing he really feels is a pressure on his ankle. As if someone's holding it...

He slowly peaks one eye open, and sees Sasuke's amused looking face. "Baka, Usuratonkachi." Sasuke says. Sasuke's feet are planted on the branch Naruto had been hanging off of, and he's grasping Naruto's ankle.

Naruto and Karin sigh in relief simultaneously.

* * *

"Well then I guess you have your chakra down." Sasuke says. The trio is walking to the store since Naruto hasn't gotten groceries in a while. Naruto has a stupid grin on his face. "I can't believe it was so easy! It's like I had already done it before!" Sasuke glances at him. "Yeah..."

Naruto grabs a cart and is the first to enter the store, then Sasuke, then Karin. "Let's see... What should we have tonight?" Naruto mutters to himself. He looks at Sasuke. "You don't like sweet things right Sasuke?" He gets a nod as a response. Naruto moves his gaze to Karin. "What about you?" Karin sniffs and crosses her arms. "I'm not too much of a picky eater..." Naruto smiles. "Well then, we can have Spaghetti. I at least know how to make that."

**/**

**I'm gonna go see The Heat... Sandra Bullock, impress me.**

**Suigetsu: I wanna go~**

**Me: No.**

**Suigetsu: Eh? Why?!**

**Me: Because... you... um... have to stay and guard Naruto.**

**Suigetsu: Okayyy~! Review please! *runs away***

**Me: I didn't have the heart to tell him he wasn't real. \*O*/ Whyyyy?!**


	16. AN: Fangirl moment Read this!

**I know that this is an authors note but PLEASE READ! Has anyone seen the new Naruto Shippuden ending?! OMG Naruto looked like such an uke! It was sooo cute! I'm freaking out he was so adorable! I feel soo happy! If you haven't seen it go watch episode 320 and skip to the ending! It's sooo freaking adorable! Uke Naruto-chan! 3**


	17. Chapter 16

**Man my friend keeps on cancelling on me. I'm real tired of this bullshit.**

**/**

Sasuke watches Sai carefully from the corner. He's been drawing all day. Sai feels Sasuke's stare and looks up. "Can I help you, Sasuke-kun?" The guy in question walks over to him and snatches his sketch pad. He flips through the pages until he finds what he's looking for. "Information about the Akatsuki...," he states, looking down at Sai. He's got a blank face. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Sai asks. Sasuke nods and tears out the page, folding it and putting it in his pocket. "We don't write down the information given to us. If you have questions, ask the other three. They don't seem to have any problems remembering." Sai and Sasuke's gazes meet, and a hard tension spreads in the air. "... I'm sorry. I just have a hard time remembering." Sai finally says, putting on a fake smile. Sasuke 'Hn's him and hands his sketch pad back.

"Ahh! See Sasuke, Naruto-chan likes me better! He's making me dinner!" Suigetsu brags, standing next to Naruto in the kitchen. "Whatever. He's not making it just for you, you know." Sasuke says. Suigetsu smirks at him and looks back at Naruto. "Don't be jealous!" Naruto glares at both of them. "Hey, I have a small kitchen you know. I can't move around when you two are hovering over me! If you're going to be in here, at least help." Sasuke and Suigetsu look around. "What do you need help with?" Suigetsu asks, observing the already cooked noodles and sauce for the meal. Naruto flushes. "U-uh... I... didn't grab Parmesan from the store..." He says weakly, scratching the back of his head. Suigetsu's eyes glint as he heads for the door. "Don't worry Naruto-chan!," he exclaims. "I'll be right back!"

The door slams shut. Karin's sigh is audible throughout the apartment. "That idiot..."

Naruto wipes some sweat from his forehead. "It's hot in here." he mutters, looking at Sasuke. Sasuke leans against the counter and crosses his arms. "You didn't forget Parmesan. I saw you get some at the store." Naruto smiles. "Yeah but, Suigetsu was doing more harm than help. I didn't want to tell him to flat out leave, that would have been rude." Sasuke 'Hn's him. Naruto pops his back and leans his hands on the counter, facing the cabinets. He let's out a long sigh and lets his head drop.

"Usuratonkachi..." Sasuke says after a minute of silence. Naruto glances sideways at him. "What?" he asks. Sasuke stares at him. "Hn... you used to get so angry when I called you that..." Naruto's eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean 'used to'? If you're talking about the first time you said that, of course I was angry. I don't even know what that means!" Sasuke shrugs and pushes off of the counter. "You can interpret it anyway you want, but it's just a pet-name for you. Usuratonkachi." Naruto rolls his eyes and stretches once again. "You know i'm not that hungry..." He slowly walks past Sasuke, out of the kitchen, and to his bedroom. "I'm sure you guys can put it together..." Sasuke looks at the food for a minute before following Naruto, closing his bedroom door behind him.

Karin, Juugo and Sai sit awkwardly in the living room. 'Suigetsu that baka...' Karin thinks to herself. 'He better hurry up and come back...'

* * *

"I never said you could just follow me to my room." Naruto gripes. Sasuke doesn't respond, simply sitting down in the chair next to Naruto's bed. Naruto sighs, his shoulders dropping. "... Whatever. I'm taking a bath- You can't follow me in there!"

When Sasuke hears the water running in Naruto's bathroom, he stands and decides to take a look around Naruto's room.

He walks to his desk and picks up the picture of Naruto, Sakura and Kiba. Naruto's smiling so brightly, so innocently. His grip tightens on the frame.

* * *

Naruto lays back into the water and rinses the shampoo out of his hair. When it's all out, he sighs and relaxes, the water coming up to his nose. 'This is the first peaceful moment I have had in days...' he thinks to himself. 'I hope it does _not_... change...'

He lifts his chin out of the water to where the water shapes his face. "I need to go to school... and see Iruka... and go to theater practice... and talk to my friends..." His eyes widen and he moves into a sitting position. "Where's Pako?" It's quiet, he doesn't get a response.

He lays back down in the water. "I'm sure he's fine... Sasuke wouldn't do anything..." Naruto closes his eyes. Sasuke. Just his name gets butterfly's in Naruto's stomach. He hasn't had a lot of time to really think about... well, how he feels about Sasuke. He doesn't hate him. No, definitely not. In fact he likes him. A lot. Naruto feels his cheeks getting hot. But what does that _mean,_ exactly? Naruto knows now that his infatuation with Sasuke isn't anything like... lust. It's deeper than that. But can Naruto just randomly say that he...

/

Naruto exits the bathroom, a towel around his waist. He runs to his closet quickly when he sees that Sasuke is still in his room. "I thought you would have gone by now!" Naruto's muffled voice shouts from the closet. Sasuke chuckles from his seat. "So modest..." Naruto steps out with an annoyed look on his face, his wet hair clinging to his forehead. He has his boxers on and a long shirt. "Dry your hair properly," Sasuke chides, throwing a towel at Naruto. "You'll catch a cold."

Naruto flops onto his bed. He turns his head towards Sasuke. "Neh Sasuke, about earlier during my training... I got that down really fast, didn't I? I mean, Karin said it would be something that I wouldn't be able to master for a few days, but I got it on my first try." Sasuke listens quietly. Naruto rolls onto his back and lays his hands on his stomach. "When I felt the chakra build in me, it didn't hurt like I thought it would. It was a warm feeling. It started in the pit of my stomach and then spread throughout my body. Also, I could manipulate it easily. It's like i've done this before." Naruto silent for a long time. "I keep on feeling like... like there's a big part of my life that I don't know about. That's missing... I feel like i've known you longer than I actually have." He looks at Sasuke for a reaction. When he doesn't get a response, he smiles. "But I guess i'm just being a little crazy, huh?"

Naruto frowns. "Well don't look too interested." Sasuke shrugs. "There's nothing interesting about it." Naruto finds himself offended by that. "Hey, i'm telling you my thoughts okay? You don't have to be such a jerk about it..." "While you're thinking, you could be training. You've been sitting around doing nothing-," "What? I just trained yesterday-," "That doesn't count as training, idiot." "Why does it even matter?!" "Because-," Sasuke says, spite laced in his voice. "-you need to learn how to take care of yourself." Naruto falls silent. When he speaks, his voice is kind of shaky. "You... make it sound like you're gonna leave or something..."

Sasuke watches, his expression blank. Naruto's smile slowly fades."... Sasuke-," "I'm going to see what the others are doing."

Naruto watches, mouth slightly agape, as Sasuke stands and leaves him.

* * *

"Oh... that is weird." Sakura says, shoving an egg roll in her mouth. Naruto sighs over the phone. "Sorry, Naruto. If I would have known that I was leading some crazed fangirl to your house, I wouldn't have." "Yeah, I know." Sakura lifts up her spoon full of rice and stares at it eye-level. "But i've been thinking about something Sasuke said... _She's like me..._ What'd he mean by that? Is he a fangirl in disguise or something?" She smiles at hearing Naruto's laugh. "No... I don't even know." Sakura decides to let the subject go. "Naruto when are we going to hang out? Everyone's been asking me since i've seen you last. In fact I was surprised when you called. You aren't about to hang up on me, are you?" Naruto chuckles. "No i'm not, I promise. I don't know Sakura, I have... a lot on my plate." Sakura looks down at her food. "Mm... so do I..."

"Sakura... do you like Sasuke?"

She chokes at the random question. "L-like Sasuke? Um... why do you ask?" Naruto's silent for a moment. "I don't know... just wondering..." Sakura's eyes widen and she leans forward, as if Naruto were there with her. "Naruto... do _you _like Sasuke?" She's met with silence again. "Naruto?"

"I think I..." Naruto sighs. "I think I love him."

Sakura's mouth is agape. "I-I... wow... What's happened while you've been busy?" Naruto sighs again. "A lot." Sakura puts a straw in her coke can, thinking about how many rats must have crawled over the can while it was sitting in a storage unit. "Naruto, you don't even know the guy... I mean, I know i'm one to talk, but I don't _love_ Sasuke..." "No offense Sakura, but I know him more than you think..." he pauses. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like i've known Sasuke longer than I actually have."

Sakura sets the coke can on her stomach and sighs. She's laying on her bed, the phone cradled between her neck and shoulder. She reaches up and takes the phone in her hand. "Naruto enough of the silly fantasies..." She chides as if a mother would. "They aren't fantasies Sakura! I'm telling the truth!" Her lips twitch into a smile. "I guess it's possible."

Naruto groans. She can practically see him worrying his lip. She feels bad for her friend. She knows that Naruto's too stubborn to do anything about it, he's probably afraid, too.

"I think that you should just... Excuse me for my corny-ness, but you should follow your heart." Naruto giggles. "What is this, a Disney movie?" Sakura laughs with him. "... No I understand Sakura. Thanks."

Sakura closes her eyes as Naruto hangs up. "Now Sasuke better hope he doesn't do anything stupid, or i'll kick his ass..." she mutters.

**/**

**Cccaannn youu feelll the looovve toniigghhtt?**

**... No? You can't? Oh... I guess I suck then.**

**Suigetsu: I can see i've been kicked out of the love triangle...**

**Me: No, no! You're like Sakura! You're still there, for reasons that don't make sense, you're love is just one-sided! On your side!**

**Suigetsu: I'm starting to think we aren't talking about your story...**

**Me: No, no. We aren't. This is real. I'm talking about Sakura for real.**

**Suigetsu: ... Um... review please...**

**Me: THIS IS REAL!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Man, ya know I just really miss Itachi and Ero-Sennin. They were so amazing, and now they're gone and i'm just so butthurt over it.**

**"I'm thinking of buying a monkey. Then I think: Why stop at one? Therefore, i'm considering a platoon of monkey's. So that people will look at me and see how mellow and well-adjusted I am compared to these monkey's throwing feces around." -Robert Downy Jr. (He's so amazing.)  
**

**/**

When Naruto enters the living room, Suigetsu is grovelling at Sasuke's knees. "Please! Please please please! I wanna train Naru-chan next!" Sasuke crosses his arms.

"Why should you train him next?"

Suigetsu smirks. "Since Naruto-chan has his chakra down, we should start showing him some Ninjutsu, don'tcha think? We can see what his chakra type is, and what he can-,"

"He has wind chakra..." Karin says from across the room. Suigetsu glares at the girl. "Ah! Fuck you!"

Naruto walks up from behind them. "Ninjutsu? Sounds interesting."

Suigetsu's eyes form hearts. "Ahh! Naru-chan I knew you'd see my way!" Naruto smiles kindly at him and Suigetsu grabs his nose. "So cute!"

Sasuke sighs. "Fine. If you're going to do that, do it now I suppose...,"

"No."

They all look at Naruto. "No?" Sasuke asks. Naruto nods.

"I'm going to see Iruka." Suigetsu gets up and grabs Naruto's hands. "Who's Iruka?!" Naruto gives him an awkward smile. "My foster dad..." Suigetsu grins and lets go."Oh! Well I wanna go too!" Naruto shrugs and grabs his house keys by the coffee table."Okay. Sasuke, are you coming?" Sasuke notices the hope laced in Naruto's voice. He shrugs as well. Sai stands, signaling that he'll go too. Naruto smiles and waves to everyone. "We're off!"

* * *

"Naruto!" Iruka cry's, grabbing me in a bear hug. "I haven't seen you in days! You didn't call or anything!" I can't help the laugh that escapes me. "I know, i'm sorry..." I mutter, returning the hug. Iruka notices Sasuke, Sai and Suigetsu behind me. "Oh, Sasuke. And... i'm sorry I don't think i've met you two." Suigetsu puts on a brave face. "I'm Suigetsu! I'm Naru-chan's boyfriend and-," Sasuke hits him upside the head. I feel a flutter in my stomach and turn back to Iruka.

"Um... could we come in?" I ask. Iruka opens the door wider.

/

I tuck my feet under one of the pillows on the couch. When Sasuke walks over I drag my gaze to the tea Iruka made. Sasuke sits next to me, his shoulder touching my own. We listen as Suigetsu talks to Iruka, saying that he's my alleged "boyfriend" and that he wants Iruka's blessings. Sai is sitting across the room on a chair, drawing as always. I try not to focus on the closeness of Sasuke.

What's wrong with me? Ever since I admitted to Sakura (And frankly, myself) that I loved Sasuke, i've- Wait a minute there is no "Ever since" I just admitted it about an hour ago... How about, I just randomly started feeling blush-y and stuff around Sasuke now. I guess that works...

GAH! This isn't helping my situation at all...

Sasuke nudges me and I look up. He flicks his eyes between Sai and I. Could it be that Sasuke feels... awkward? No way... He leans down and whispers in my ear. "Say something, baka..." A shiver runs down my spine when his breath spans across my face, and I look at Sai in-case there's a blush on my face. "Um... Neh Sai, what're you drawing?"

Sai looks up. "You two."

I stand up quickly and run over to him. Sure enough, he has drawn Sasuke and I... But it looks funny. "Maybe you should see it standing up directly-," Sai says, waving me to his side. "-not up-side down." I walk around and the picture becomes more clear.

Okay, it is definitely Sasuke and I, but we're... we're... "P-PERVERT!" I stumble away from Sai only to back into Sasuke.

"What?" Sasuke asks. I point to Sai with a shaky finger. "H-H-H-He drew us doing it!" When I look back Sasuke isn't there. "Sasuke?..." I look forward again and Sasuke is looking at the picture with Sai.

"Ah, I see. But it'd be a little bigger..." he comments.

I feel like i'm about to faint...

Iruka comes out with Suigetsu. "Oh, what are you guys looking at?" Sai fake smiles. "I drawing of mine, would you like to see?"

"Oh! Why yes I would-," I intervene, throwing myself between Iruka and the picture. "No! It's not for you to see!"

Iruka smiles and sits down on another available chair. After a moment I sit back down on the couch, followed by Sasuke and Suigetsu. "Well Naruto it's nice to know that you've made a lot of new friends. Apparently even a boyfriend... But that still doesn't give you an excuse." I frown and tilt my head. "You've missed school, haven't contacted me or your worried friends in days, you didn't even bother to call-,"

"Uh, I did call Sakura about an hour ago..." I say, hoping for some credit. Iruka narrows his eyes at me and I know i'm in trouble. "-and your only excuse is that you a had a bunch of _men, _that I didn't hear about and don't know, move into your small apartment and you were just ohhh so busy. Also-," he points to my ankle. "-how do you explain that?"

I feel sweat roll down my temple. I didn't even think about my ankle. "Well... it was just a fracture." I start. "Nurse Shizune was off about it so..." Iruka watches me closely for a moment. "Well... Okay I guess that makes sense. I mean, it's not like you took some magical healing potion." Iruka chuckles at his joke. I try for a smile, but my stomach turns sour.

I've lied to Iruka once again.

"So Naruto, when are you going to come back to school?" Iruka asks. I inwardly roll my eyes. As if I have a choice about whether or not I go back to school, Iruka's going to make me anyways. "Um... What's today?" I ask.

"Friday." Perfect timing, I guess. I give a weak smile and hold up my hands.

"Well I guess i'm going back Monday then..." Iruka smiles as if the choice was actually in my hands.

* * *

Monday came faster then I would have liked... And what's worse... is...

"Is it really necessary for you guys to enroll?" I ask again. Suigetsu smirks and sets his arm around my shoulders. "Of course it is! We have to be wherever you are! We even have all the same classes!"

"These uniforms are so cute!" Karin comments.

I sigh and make no move to shrug Suigetsu's arm off. He'd just put it back... Sai looks around the hall as we're walking. "There isn't much artwork. Naruto-kun, you're school is so boring." I feel my eye twitch. "Thanks Sai." Juugo is silent behind us, and Sasuke looks just as upset about the whole thing as I am.

"You all should have stayed at home. You're just going to draw attention to us, that's the last thing we need." Karin, feeling good about herself, latches on to Sasuke's arm. "Huh, Sasu-ke-kun? Don't be like that!" He shrugs her off.

We're standing in front of my first period door. I turn and look at them, crossing my arms. "Listen you guys, don't be... weird. And don't tell anyone about what or who you are, make up a story if you have to. No doing in demon related ANYTHING, okay?" I say. They all nod their heads. I sigh and turn back to the door.

"Then let's go..."

I open the door and step in, Suigetsu clings to me again. Karin comes next, then Sasuke, then Sai then Juugo. The class falls silent. My Algebra teacher, Mr. Henderson, looks taken aback. "Oh! I'm sorry I forgot that we were going to have some new students. And Naruto, it's nice to see you're back." I try to smile. "Class, pay attention please. These are the new students I was telling you about. They also just converted, and moved from Japan. Give them a warm welcome." He turns to me. "They can sit with you, Naruto. I'm sure there's room."

Everyone stares at us as we walk to the back of the classroom. Sakura and Kiba raise their eyebrows at me. I plop into my seat. Suigetsu sits next to me, then Sasuke. Karin and Juugo sit at another desk. Sai stands in front of us. "What?" I ask. He looks around blankly.

"Where do I sit?" he asks innocently.

Everyone stares at him like he's stupid. I feel bad for him and smile. "Next to me, of course. Suigetsu won't mind, will you Suigetsu?" The guy in question looks heartbroken, but moves over, in-between Sasuke and Karin.

Sakura tugs on my sleeve. "Naruto, why is that girl here?" She whispers in my ear. I chew on my lip. "Um... She's my cousin." She quirks a brow. "Oh... okay then. Who are the other guys?"

"People from my orphanage..."

Sakura leans back. Kiba pulls me into a hug. "Naruto! I thought you were dead!" he whispers. A grin brakes across my face. "No, Kiba. I'm not dead..." Kiba hugs me tighter. I feel someone's eyes on the back of my head and glance behind me. Sasuke's glaring furiously at the two of us. I can't help but feel happy.

Mr. Henderson continues with his lesson.

* * *

Suigetsu stretches and yawns. "Man... School is so boring." I roll my eyes at him. Suigetsu throws his arm around me. "So, what do you guys have for lunch?" I look at him exasperated. "You didn't bring anything?" Suigetsu shakes his head.

Leave it to Suigetsu, everyone else brought food but not him... And I don't have any money for the line...

"You can have some of my food." I say. Suigetsu wraps his arms around my waist. "Ahh! Naru-chan you're so thoughtful!"

The students stare at us and I try to shrug him off. "Stop..." I whisper. "It's embarrassing..."

Juugo pulls him off effortlessly. "Please listen to Naruto-kun." he says. I smile up at him. Karin seems to be glaring off some girls. She grabs my arm and pulls me closer to her. "Neh, Naruto... Do all these girls like Sasuke-kun?" I shrug. A dark cloud forms around her. "Well they better back off!"

We come up to a bench that my friends and I eat at. By friends, I mean Sakura and Hinata.

"N-Naruto..." Hinata greets, her cheeks becoming rosy. I smile and sit next to her. "Hey, Hinata." She notices Sasuke and looks down. "U-uh... So, you all a-are our n-new classmates, h-huh?" she asks the rest. They all nod. Suigetsu squints his eyes at her. "Hey, you stutter a lot."

Her blush intensify's and she glances at Naruto. "O-oh... S-sorry..."

Sai leans forward and stares at Hinata... or rather, her chest. "My, you have some big breasts." He says, poking them. Hinata turns brighter than a tomato, and her mouth is agape. Sai puts on his fake smile and looks at me. "Well then you two can't be together, with your small dick and all." I turn almost as bright as Hinata. "S-Shut up!" I shout.

Sakura and Hinata look at me with wide eyes. "What?" I ask, a blush still on my face. "Naruto... you never say shut up." I shrug absently. "Well... it's not that bad. Not like it's the end of the world or anything. In fact... well, cussing isn't too horrible."

Sakura stares at me with a worried look on her face, but leaves the subject alone.

Sasuke sits next to me. The bench is starting to become crowded...

I open my furnace that holds my precious ramen. Suigetsu sees it and kneels in front of me. "Naruto-chan! It's only proper that you feed me..." I get a 'tick' on my forehead. "Only once..." I mutter. Suigetsu looks like he's on cloud nine.

I pull up some noodles and hold out my fork. "Here." He opens his mouth and, feeling a little mean, I cram the fork in it. He starts crying little mini rivers and looks away. "T-Thank you!"

Pervert...

**/**

**Okay so, this was a slow chapter... think of it as filler, I guess. :3 Gomen. **


	19. Chapter 18

**OHMYGLOB! I can't wait till the next episode of Naruto Shippuden, it's in good animation and Madara's totally gonna kick some ass!**

**You guys I really hate Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu in the show. Like, ugh... I didn't think I would have been as mad as I was, but I was watching Naruto with a friend who's catching up, and she was at episode 116+. OHMIGLOB, I was just burning with jealousy. For Naruto, I mean. I was just like: "Look at Suigetsu! Acting like he knows Sasuke! Tck! He doesn't know anything, right?!" **

**IDK if anyone is interested, but i've made some SasuNaru AMV's. There's also an ItaNaru AMV and a Sakura AMV. It'd be awesome if you guys would take a look!**

**Just go to Youtube and type (for the SasuNaru AMV's):**

**SasuNaru- Just give me a reason.**

**or**

**A SasukeXNaruto tribute- Every time we touch. **

**For the ItaNaru one type in:**

**ItaNaru- Need your heart.**

**For the Sakura one, type in:**

**Sakura Haruno... she's a badass.**

**They're all by SuperBmiller123.**

**/**

"Today is the day!" Suigetsu exclaims, a serious look on his face. "Today is the day that..." A grin brakes through. "I train Naruto-chan!" Karin sniffs at him, her glasses gleaming.

"Be serious! Idiot!"

"Shut the fuck up bitch, I can do what I want-,"

"Who're you callin' a bitch?!"

Sasuke sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "If you two would shut up..." They glare at each other before turning their attention to Sasuke.

"Naruto, you have to listen to what Suigetsu says-," Suigetsu smirks. "-unless it's something you know you shouldn't be doing. Oral sex, for example." Suigetsu's smirk falls and he crosses his arms. Naruto blushes. "I-I'm not gonna do that! Not for anyone!"

"Alright! Let's go!" Suigetsu says, grabbing Naruto by the arm.

* * *

"Alright Naruto-chan! I'll start by explaining what Ninjutsu is!"

Naruto sits in front of Suigetsu, his knees drawn to his chest.

"Ninjutsu is when you put your chakra into action! It most of the time relies on hand seals and chakra to become... um... what's the word? I totally forgot..."

"To work?" Naruto asks. Suigetsu nods and smirks, his confidence growing as he recalls.

"Yes! To work! Anyways, you use seals that helps mold and manipulate the chakra! But once you get really good at it, you sometimes won't even need to use seals. So, the basic type is when you use one element. But an advance type is when you use multiple elements. When you use Ninjutsu, there are two tricks to it: One is chakra manipulation. You already know about that. The other is Nature transformation, that deals with changing the _physical properties_ of chakra into an element."

Naruto just blinks at him absently. Suigetsu chuckles and un-crosses his arms. "But, I guess you'd understand better if you saw it and just went with it... Watch me, Naru-chan."

He steps away from Naruto and faces the forest. "This technique is called the Hydrification technique."

Suigetsu's form starts to wobble, in Naruto's eyes. He seems to be melting. Naruto's heartbeat picks up as he witnesses the un-explainable. Suigetsu indeed melts, his body becoming a liquid that Naruto identifies as water. He falls to the ground as if someone dumped a bucket of water. There's nothing but a puddle.

Naruto waits patiently for a few seconds. After a minute he begins to worry his lip. "S... Suigetsu?" he calls weakly. The water ripples and starts to take shape.

Suigetsu's head pops up and he barks laughter. "Ha ha! Naruto-chan, you should have seen your cute little face! You were so worried about me- Agh!" Naruto hits him over the head. "You jerk! I thought you were gone!"

"Nah Naru-chan, I told you that it was a jutsu. Just be happy Karin isn't teaching you this, she would have just bitch-slapped you with an explosive tag. Tck. She thinks that Ninjutsu, peh. Anyways! Your nature elemental is wind! You have wind chakra, Naru-chan. That's special... But you know what else you have? You have- Ah!"

Suigetsu is cut off when a Shuriken flies right through his head. There's nothing but a puddle for a couple of seconds before his head pops backup again.

"Ah! Sasuke you bastard! What was that for?"

Sasuke narrows his eyes and reaches into his weapons pouch. "Don't make me do it again."

"Sasuke?" Naruto asks, curiosity tinting his voice. "How long have you been there?"

Sasuke walks forward, shrugging carelessly. "Long enough. Suigetsu, get on with it."

Suigetsu takes full form once again. "Tck. Always telling me what to do... Alright Naru-chan!... um..." He smiles at Sasuke.

"I don't know what to teach him."

Sasuke groans and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Damn it. Why didn't you tell me that?... We can start with Wind release. You can teach him that, can't you?" Suigetsu shrugs. "I don't have wind chakra."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitches. "Just tell him what do." Malice laces his voice, and Suigetsu decides to get on with it.

"O-okay... Now, wind techniques are usually preformed by making air circulation. So, you need to enhance that with your chakra. What you're gonna be doing is slicing a leaf with your chakra. Straight through the middle."

Naruto smiles. "Well that sounds easy." Sasuke raises his eyebrow. "Oh? You really think so?" The atmosphere shifts.

"... What? You don't think I can do it?"

Suigetsu watches amusingly as the two bicker.

"Well, it's not like you're going to get it on your first try."

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yes."

"How about we make a bet?"

Sasuke chuckles. "A bet?"

Naruto nods and crosses his arms. His cheeks start to turn red with anger.

"Yeah! Here's the bet! If I win, then you have to... um..." Sasuke's lips twitch. "How about if you win, i'll treat you to ramen. For the rest of your life. And if I win, I get to take you on a date."

Naruto looks taken aback. "A... date?"

Suigetsu decides to intervene. "Ehh?! Hold on Sasuke, you little ass! You can't just take dibs like that-,"

"Shut up Suigetsu." Sasuke mutters absently, waiting for Naruto's response. Naruto's cheeks start to get pink. "If...," Sasuke waits patiently, Suigetsu waits anxiously.

"If I win, you still have to take me on a date."

Shock ripples through the air. A smile blossoms on Sasuke's lips, and Naruto try's to capture the image. "Okay. It's a deal."

* * *

Sai steps into Naruto's room. "Hm. It's clean. I would have figured it would have been a pigsty." He looks at Naruto's pictures. In every one of them, Naruto is smiling brightly, surrounded by his friends.

"That's moronic. When a mission is on the line, i'm sure Naruto-kun would rather save his friends." He looks down at Naruto's carpeted floor. "That's why you wouldn't be able to be a Shinobi. Naruto-kun, you wouldn't make it in my world." Sai walks around Naruto's bed and sits in the chair Sasuke usually sits in. "You have yet to enclose your feelings, and put the mission first. But don't worry. I'll save you."

Sai closes his eyes, a calm expression on his face.

"I'll save you from hurting. Save you from the pain of watching someone you love die. By the time i'm done with you, Naruto-kun, you won't feel anything at all."

* * *

"Alright Naruto-chan! Remember what the bitch and I told you!" Suigetsu encourages, watching Naruto hold the leaf in his hands. Naruto breathes deeply, his body tingling with excitement and worry.

He presses his palms against each other, the leaf in-between them. Naruto shuts his eyes and try's to focus on his chakra.

His eyebrows furrow and his hands start to shake from the pressure.

After a few more seconds, he abruptly gasps and opens his hands.

Suigetsu leans forward. "Naruto-chan? Did you get it?"

Naruto's shoulders slump. Then, they start to shake. Suigetsu feels panic. 'Oh shit... he's crying! What the fuck do I do?!' He reaches forward to touch Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto bends forward and clutches his stomach. He's laughing.

"Eh?! What the fuck Naru-chan? What're you laughing for?" Suigetsu asks, feeling completely confused. Naruto sighs heavily and spins around. He holds out his hand, and shows Suigetsu the perfectly cut leaf.

A grin brakes through Suigetsu's face, matching Naruto's. "Ah. Wow, Naruto-chan. You're really amazing." They chuckle together.

Sasuke stands up from his spot under a tree, and walks over to the two chuckling idiots. "Well I guess you won." He says. Naruto seems to remember that Sasuke had been watching him. He blushes and waves his arms everywhere. "I-I-I take it back! I j-just want ramen!"

A small smile forms on Sasuke's face. "Okay... It can still count as a date, though."

"No! It's just two friends eating together!"

"No... I think it's a date."

"Can I join?" Suigetsu interrupts.

They both glare at him and say simultaneously: "No!"

**/**

**Well, there we go. That chapter was a lot less filler-y. Don't worry. Naruto will soon stop being a little baby and-**

**Naruto: Hey! So cruel...**

**Me: Sorry Naruto-kun! I don't know what came over me... Maybe i'm taking in Sasuke's and yours sexual frustration. That means that you two will have to-**

**Naruto: Shut up!**

**Me: I'm talking about in my story!... And, in the actual show. I mean, come-fucking-on Naruto-kun, how blind are you-**

**Naruto: R-review please!**


	20. Chapter 19

**HOLY SHIT! THE NEW NARUTO SHIPPUDEN EPISODE WAS _AMAZING!_ The graphics were great, the CG fit perfectly with it... And Madara just kicked some serious ass. We're going into regular animation next episode. I have a guess that they're doing it for the Madara vs. Kage fight.**

**Anyone wanna follow me on Tumblr? It's: shmexypanda. tumblr. com **

**Ignore the spaces.**

**So I have this baseball cap that has Naruto on it, and this cashier asked me if I preferred "Shippuden or the original series?" I just nodded and said "Both." **

**My mind was fucking blown. How do you quote the first part of Naruto as the "original series"?! Shippuden follows Naruto. Like, WTF? I was so confused, I wanted to have a conversation with him but I had to leave. **

**And on another note, ha ha. I told my friend that she couldn't watch the Naruto vs Pain fight without me. So now she's on episode 163, just waiting for me to get back from vacation.**

**She just recently started watching Naruto, I got her into it, and so she's catching up pretty fast. **

**I fucking love the Naruto vs Pain fight, it's my favorite. I've seen it at least six or seven times.  
**

**IF YOU ARE L, LOOK BELOW!**

**Oh and, thank you L. I can't respond to your reviews. :3**

**/**

Naruto groggily gets up from the couch and stumbles to the door. The door bell rings once again and he huffs.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

He swings the door open, and is surprised to see his friends... all of them.

Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Ino and Lee.

"What in the... What are you guys doing here?" He asks them. They all greet him at the same time. "Hi, Naruto!"

They rush into his apartment.

"So, Naruto, when are you gonna stop ignoring us?" Ino asks, hugging him from behind. Naruto opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off by Tenten, who has grabbed his hands. "Yeah, Naruto! Did we do something wrong?"

Naruto looks taken aback. "What I wasn't ignoring you." Kiba talks from the back of the group. "Oh really, you weren't just too busy with your new friends?"

Naruto looks offended by the assumption. "Well I mean, i've been a little busy but I haven't been ignoring you. Sorry that i've had...things going on."

The whole group shares a look.

"Save it!" Kiba steps up from behind the group. "Stop bullshitting us. I don't want to hear your excuses. You could of at least called and told us you were going to be busy, instead of neglecting us. Aren't we friends?"

Sakura takes hold of Kiba's arm. "Kiba stop acting like that." She looks to Naruto. "Naruto we don't feel that way. I don't know what's gotten into Kiba, we were just worried about you."

Naruto tries to process what just happened in under ten seconds.

Sasuke walks in from the hallway. "What are you all doing here?"

"Ah Sasuke!" Sakura shouts. "We were just stopping by, uh, cause we heard there's a new cafe that just opened up down the street. We wanted to see if Naruto could tag along with us. You know, new competition."

Naruto feels his face pale. He completely forgot about work.

Lee steps forward and analyze Sasuke. "You have gotten stronger Sasuke-kun. we will need to fight again to challenge my strength against yours." Naruto tilts his head.

"Huh? Lee... you know Sasuke?"

A thick silence falls in the room. The only ones who look confused are Naruto and Sakura.

Lee starts sweating rapidly. "A-Ah! I'm sorry Sasuke-kun! I shouldn't have said anything-,"

"The damage is done. Idiot." Sasuke mutters.

Naruto's eyebrows furrow. "So... you _do_ know each other? Did you run into each other before, or something? Or is it just that you two are like, friends who haven't-,"

"They're all like me."

Naruto's confused look drops. "Excuse me?" he asks. Sasuke runs a hand through his hair, sighing. "I said they're-,"

Sasuke's cut off when Naruto's wall explodes.

* * *

Five people hide in the shadows outside of Naruto's apartment. They all have green vests on, with a red spiraling circle on the back.

The one furthest in front holds up two fingers, and then points them to the apartment.

"Ikuzo." (A/N: Let's go.)

* * *

Sasuke grabs Naruto's shirt collar and pulls him away. Ino pulls Sakura, and the others jump back.

Naruto starts coughing and has to close his eyes when dust fly's towards them. Everything clears and there's a giant hole in the wall.

"Five." Sasuke says out-loud.

"I see!" Lee responds.

Naruto squints as the figures walk in. His eyes widen in shock when he sees what's on their foreheads.

Headbands. Like Sai's.

Before anyone can say anything, Lee rushes forward.

He leaps in the air and starts to turn, his leg sticking out.

"Konoha Senpuu!" He shouts.

His leg comes in contact with one of the peoples arms. Lee grabs their shoulder and flips over them, landing behind. He takes a stance, holding his arm out, and his hand up, before him.

"Lee! Baka!" Tenten shouts. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Lee smiles. "A friendly brawl!" He responds.

Tenten sighs and smacks her hand against her face.

Sasuke steps forward. "What are you doing here?" He asks.

One of the people, a woman, steps forward as well. "That's what we should be asking you!"

"Why i'm here has nothing to do with Konoha."

The lady sneers at him.

Kiba speaks. "Eh? Okaa-san?"

The woman looks at him. "Kiba! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She walks up to him and grabs his ear. "Here with the enemy the whole time and you didn't do anything! Hana has more balls than you by far!"

"Hana's a girl!"

"Well then that means something!"

One of the men looks at Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, by order of the Hokage, you are to come with us."

Shikamaru sighs and rubs the back of his head. "Ahh... troublesome. Come on, Naruto."

Naruto watches as Shikamaru willingly goes with the group of people. Naruto is too confused to say anything.

"Shikamaru! What the hell?!" Ino says.

"It's better then having to fight them..." Shikamaru waves Naruto over. "Besides, they're Jounin. We won't be able to handle them as we are now."

Sasuke grabs Naruto's arm. "Naruto isn't going back there."

Kiba's alleged mother is behind Sasuke in a flash. Naruto doesn't have enough time to warn him before the woman pins him to the ground. "Don't worry, you're going too!"

Sasuke doesn't even struggle as she puts some kind of cuffs on him.

Sakura, who is just as confused as Naruto, finally says something.

"Wait! W-what's going on?!"

Kiba's mother pulls Sasuke up. "It has nothing to do with you hon. Souta, wipe her memory."

A man steps forward. "Hai."

"What?!" Naruto screams. "No! Wait a second-,"

Naruto's eyes roll into the back of his head. His limp body is caught by the man who knocked him out.

* * *

Naruto slowly blinks his eyes open.

He watches as the ground moves, even though he isn't walking.

He lifts up his head and looks around. His friends are walking quietly behind him. He looks at who's carrying him.

Souta.

"Put me down..." he mutters. The man stops and carefully sets him down into a sitting position. Naruto's head is pounding.

His friends squat in front of him.

"Hey, Naruto..." Ino says.

"H-how are you doing?" Hinata asks.

Naruto looks around again.

"Where's Sasuke?"

Ino points behind him. Naruto turns and looks. Sasuke is standing there, watching them. Naruto makes an attempt to stand, but just falls back down on his butt.

"What happened?"

"Naruto." Tenten starts. "We should probably explain."

Naruto's head pounds a little harder.

"... I don't know if you can tell, or if you've caught up or not, but... We're like Sasuke. You understand?"

Naruto waves his hand for her to continue.

"Okay. We're Konoha Shinobi, and-,"

"If you're going to explain-," Sasuke interrupts. "-you should at least start with Naruto in general, not yourselves."

Tenten huffs and sits back. "Well why don't you tell him?"

"Tell me what?!" Naruto shouts.

Sasuke adjusts his hands in the cuffs. "Naruto, look at me."

Naruto does as he's told. A strange feeling is in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm not going to sugar coat this. I know that you're stronger than that...," Sasuke stares Naruto in the eyes. "You're from Konoha, Naruto. You're a demon."

* * *

"You're lucky that i've decided to let you go." Sai says.

He's standing in front of Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin.

Karin glares at him and forms her hand into a fist. "Sasuke-kun doesn't have to go with you! He hasn't done anything-,"

"Yet. He hasn't done anything yet. Which is why we need to keep Sasuke-kun in our care. Understand?"

Karin looks thoroughly angry. Suigetsu sighs and scratches his head. "Oh well. It's not like he was that important anyways. Juugo, Bitch, it was nice knowing you two." Karin turns on him. "Aren't you going to help get Sasuke-kun back?!"

"Nope." Suigetsu starts to walk away.

"We're a team now, Suigetsu! Get your ass back here!"

Suigetsu points at Karin, and then Juugo. "You two care about Sasuke. That's enough. But, i'm not risking my life for him. And besides, you heard... What's your name again? Say... Pie... Guy... Whatever. We can go."

"You can't tell me that you just used Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun took us in, Suigetsu! He helped you escape-,"

"And I appreciate it... But Karin, what you and Juugo don't seem to know is Sasuke doesn't care about us. So you can like him, love him, all you want but it's not going to make a difference about how he feels," He narrows his eyes. "We're just pawns for him."

Karin's eyes start to sting a bit. "You're lying! Baka, Suigetsu!"

Suigetsu laughs and sets his hands on his hips. "Oh please, Sasuke would kill you me and Juugo if he had to. Honestly, you girls are ridiculous. Always blinded by 'love'. You can't see how loopy Sasuke is... Well, whatever. Ja ne."

"Wait! Suigetsu!"

Karin and Juugo watch as their 'teammate' disappears into the brush.

Sai puts on a fake smile. "Well, you two enjoy yourselves. I'm sorry for your loss."

* * *

Naruto's eyebrows furrow.

Sasuke's words sink in... but he surprisingly doesn't feel alarmed.

Sasuke smiles a bit. "See. I knew you were stronger than that." Naruto looks down at his hands, his palms facing him. "A... demon? Seriously..."

With new determination, Naruto looks back into Sasuke's dark eyes. "I want to know more. I don't know why, but... i'm not scared."

His friends look a little shocked.

"Alright. I guess I should start from the beginning. You were born in Konoha, but on the day of your birth the Kyuubi, a nine-tailed demon fox, was set loose. The Yondiame Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside of you."

Naruto's mellow demeanor start to dissipate little by little as Sasuke continues to talk.

"The village hated and despised you. You had been alone for a long time, Naruto. But then..."

Naruto feels sweat roll down his temple. "But then?" he whispers.

* * *

_A small figure runs through the outskirts of Konoha. The figure is male, with blond hair and blue eyes, three whisker marks adorning each side of his face. His breath comes out in pants as he runs as fast as his little legs can carry him. Shouts echo from behind him. He stops at a small stream, and looks around for a hiding place. He looks into the forest and decides that's the best place to go, and climbs up the ridge to reach the woods. At some point the boy slips and falls, earning a cut on his forehead. He finds a tree and presses his back against the rough bark. The boy closes his eyes and starts to shake in fear as the voices start to get louder.  
_

_/_

_"Neh Aniki watch this!" A young Sasuke shouts, pulling out some kuni. He throws them at three targets, hitting most of them on the bulls-eye except for one. Itachi tilts his head. "Now that won't do, will it?" Sasuke blushes and growls. "Just wait!" he turns back to the targets._

_Itachi watches as Sasuke misses two this time. Suddenly he looks around and starts to walk off. "I'll be back Sasuke." he says. Sasuke grunts a response._

_/_

_The blond boy peaks around the tree and sees the people who were chasing him. Three boys a little older than him stand around the stream, looking around for the blond boy. "Eh? Where'd he go?!" One off to the far left shouts. The one in the middle responds. "I don't know..." The blond boy presses his back against the tree again and shuts his eyes.  
_

_It's only a few seconds later when he snaps them open. A hand covers his mouth, muffling his frightened scream. Itachi squats before him and lifts a finger to his lips, telling him to be silent._

_/_

_Sasuke watches his brother emerge from the forest. He opens his mouth to brag about how he got all three targets, when he sees something strange. "Hey Aniki, who's that?"_

_Itachi is holding the little blond boys hand. When the boy notices another person, he moves closer to Itachi. "Sasuke, this is Naruto-kun." Sasuke looks back to the blond boy, Naruto. "Well what's he doing here?" he asks, a little spite in his voice. This boy is the reason his training was interrupted. "Sasuke, be nice." Itachi says. Naruto shy's away, grabbing Itachi's shirt and hiding behind his back. Sasuke sniffs and looks at Itachi once more before slowly walking up to Naruto. When he gets close he holds out his hand. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha...," he sends a snide glance at Itachi._

_"... Usuratonkachi."_

* * *

"My brother had found you. You had been chased by some boys who were causing trouble. You and I were five years old."

* * *

_Naruto's face turns red. "Hey!" he suddenly shouts. "Don't call me that!" Sasuke smirks and opens his mouth to say it again, but Itachi flicks him on his forehead. "Sasuke, can't you ever behave?" _

_Itachi looks down at Naruto, who meets his gaze. "Come on, Naruto-kun. We'll take you to our home to get you cleaned up." Sasuke is shocked. "What? We can't just bring him there-," _

_"Come on, Naruto-kun." Itachi says, pulling Naruto along while ignoring Sasuke. Sasuke flushes but chases after them anyways._

* * *

"So we did used to know each other!" Naruto exclaims. "Wait a second... I knew your brother? No, wait a second, i'm a demon?!"

The realization of it all _finally_ hits Naruto. "I... can't believe it. Has my whole life been a lie?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "Actually, only three years of it."

* * *

_"Tadiama." Itachi greets his mother. "Okaeri, Itachi, Sasuke... Naruto..." The last name came out breathless. Mikoto stares at the blonde child._

_Naruto fidgets. "Ano..." He looks up at Itachi, and then down at Mikoto's feet. "Nice to meet you..." _

_Sasuke watches them from the doorway. Mikoto snaps out of her daze and smiles brightly. "Ah! I'm sorry... Naruto-kun, please come in!" _

_Sasuke notices that his mother already knew Naruto's name. _

_/_

_Itachi places a bandage on Naruto's forehead. Sasuke watches them from the floor, Naruto and Itachi have taken refuge on the couch. Naruto looks down at Sasuke as Itachi pulls out some gauze. _

_"Hi...," he says, his big blue eyes shining brightly in the dimly lighted room. Sasuke blushes lightly and looks away. _

_"... So... I haven't seen you in the Academy." Sasuke says finally. Itachi stands and leaves the two, saying he'll be back. It's quiet until Naruto speaks up. "Oh yeah... they won't let me in there..."  
_

_"Why?"_

_Naruto shakes his head slowly, staring at Sasuke. "I don't know."_

* * *

"What are you talking about? 'only three years'?" Naruto asks.

"You've only been gone from the village for three years."

Naruto starts to shake. "That's not... Iruka adopted me when I was five!" He yells.

"No. You were taken out of the village when you were thirteen. You've only been with Iruka for three years." Naruto opens and closes his mouth.

"Then what about all of my memories? All of the memories of being with him, and Sakura and-,"

"When the brain is empty, it makes up it's own memories." Sasuke says.

Naruto frowns. "Empty? What do you mean?"

* * *

_Naruto hops out of the store, a bag of candy hanging off of his arm. A bright smile is plastered on his face as he runs through the market place of the village.  
_

_He reaches a slightly secluded part of the village. A stone gate is opened up. Inside is the Uchiha compound. _

_Naruto runs through. _

_"Naruto-kun, good evening." Auntie, as Sasuke told Naruto to call her, shouts. Naruto stops and turns. He waves and continues to Sasuke's home."Oh! Naruto-kun, you're bag!..."  
_

_"'Suke!" He calls. Sasuke is already sitting on the porch, waiting for him. He smiles and stands. His smile fades when he notices the bag on Naruto's arm. "Hey Naru, where's your candy?" Naruto tilts his head. "Huh? It's right here!" he lifts up his arm, showing off the now empty bag. Naruto gasps and looks behind him.  
_

_There's a long trail of candy that leads out of the Uchiha complex. Naruto blushes heavily and looks at the bottom of the bag. There's a hole in it. "A-ah! It's empty, I didn't even notice..."  
_

_Sasuke takes Naruto's hand and starts leading him down the road. "It's okay-," he says, smiling at him. "-we'll get you more!"_

* * *

"I'm not going into too much detail about it, but you're memory was swiped and they sent you out of the village. Iruka was put in-charge of you. After a year or two of being with them, your brain had to fill in the lost memories. So that's why you remember being in an orphanage, and Iruka adopting you at five."

Naruto looks at his friends. "Then... why're you guys here?"

Ino smiles softly at him. "Because you were our friend, we didn't want you to go. Hokage-sama was nice and said that we could stay with you and guard you. We didn't want to lose you, Naruto."

* * *

_"Minna, this is Uzumaki Naruto.__ Please take care of him." Sasuke announces.  
_

_Younger versions of Naruto's friends stare at the short, blond haired, blue eyed child. "Ohh! Kawaii!" Ino squeals. Tenten smiles, her eyes scrunching up, and holds out her hand. "Hi, Naruto-kun! I hope we can be friends!" _

_Kiba steps forward, a tiny Akamaru on his head. "Ohh. He's so short." Naruto flushes. "Ahh you're mean!" _

_Sasuke takes Naruto's hand. "Naruto is staying with my family. So don't be mean to him or Aniki will beat you up." Ino giggles at that. "Sasuke-kun, so cruel!"_

_Shikamaru lazily holds out his hand. "Yo... I'm Shikamaru. I don't really want to be your friend, but I won't ignore you. So if you want something... Well, i'd rather you not ask anything of me."  
_

_Naruto blinks at the bluntness of Shikamaru. _

_Hinata steps forward, twiddles her fingers, and then bows. "I-I'm Hyuga Hinata! Please to meet you, N-Naruto-kun..." Naruto looks taken aback. "Does she not like me?" he whispers to Sasuke. Ino hooks her arm with Hinata's. "Don't worry about her, she's just bad with people."  
_

_Choji throws some chips into his mouth. "This is Choji." Shikamaru says. Naruto analyzes him. _

_"Excuse me, Naruto-kun!" _

_Naruto turns to the voice and is shocked to see a boy with very bushy eyebrows, and long messy black hair. "I am Rock Lee! I hope we can be great friends!" He takes Naruto's hands with both of his. "I am very honored to meet you!"_

* * *

"So... i've only been gone for three years..." Naruto looks back at Sasuke. "What about Iruka?!"

"Iruka has known since the beginning. In fact, he's also from Konoha."

Naruto is silent for a while. Finally, he hesitantly speaks up. "Do... do you know who my parents are?"

Sasuke feels pain strike his heart. He knows Naruto must be seriously confused, and he feels horrible for not being able to help him more. "I'm sorry Naruto. I don't know."

Naruto falls silent again. Kiba's mother decides to talk. "I hate to break up this confession fest, but we've got to get going. We can't stay away from the village with Naruto around."

Naruto stands and grabs Sasuke's hand. "Please! Please Sasuke, can't you tell me more?!" Sasuke's eyes soften a bit. "I'm sorry Naruto... The rest you'll have to remember on your own, it won't help you if I say anymore." Naruto bows his head.

"But... I feel more alone than ever."

Sasuke's body moves on its own as he embraces Naruto. "You're not alone." he whispers.

Souta untangles Sasuke from Naruto.

"Come on, Naruto. I'm sure the rest will naturally come to you, but we have to hurry back to the village." Tenten says, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He jerks away from her. "What about Sakura? And Iruka-,"

"They'll be at the village, too."

Naruto raises his eyebrows. "You don't mean to tell me that... Sakura knew about this too." Tenten shakes her head. "No Sakura never knew. But we explained a lot to her. We knew that you wouldn't want her memory swiped."

Naruto breathes a sigh of relief. "So she'll still remember me..."

Ino starts wriggling and fidgeting until she can't take it anymore. "Wait! There's something I need to tell you about Sakura-,"

"Ino." Sasuke warns.

"Shut up! Naruto, Sakura is from the village too. It's just that, something major happened between you three-,"

"Three?" Naruto asks. "What do you mean?"

Ino's eyes start to get watery. "Let me just say... You wouldn't want Sakura to get her memory back."

* * *

_"Naruto-kun, do you want to learn how to make cupcakes?"  
_

_Naruto lifts his head up from the couch. His five year old energy boosts into life and he jumps up. Sasuke opens his eyes that are glazed over from sleeping. "Hai!" Naruto shouts, running up to Mikoto. Mikoto smiles and takes his hand, leading him into the kitchen. Sasuke groggily follows. _

_When they reach the counter, Mikoto lifts Naruto up and sets him on it. "Now Naruto-kun, you're going to be my helper, okay?" Naruto smiles and nods his head. "Good. Sasuke hasn't ever helped me before, he's always busy training." Naruto sticks his tongue out at Sasuke. "But maybe we can get him to help today?" _

_Sasuke plops down by the table. "I don't want to. When Aniki gets back i'm going to train." Naruto pouts and leans forward. "Pleeease 'Suke?" Sasuke's cheeks get a little pink. "Fine."_

* * *

"Why wouldn't I want her to?" Naruto asks.

This is all so strange. Something happened between Naruto, Sakura and who else? "Who's the third person?"

Ino sighs and points to Sasuke. "Who do you think it was?"

* * *

_Mikoto watches Itachi worriedly.  
_

_Naruto and Sasuke are sitting on the couch, Sasuke telling Naruto a story about a ninja war. Itachi is sitting quietly in the corner, reading a scroll. _

_Fugaku enters, and Sasuke grows silent. "Itachi." His father calls. Itachi doesn't look up from the scroll. "Yes, Oto-san?" _

_"You missed another meeting." _

_"I know. I've been occupied." _

_Naruto looks at Sasuke. He notices that he looks worried, and mouths: What's wrong?_

_Sasuke just shakes his head, willing Naruto to stay still. _

_Itachi stands and walks to the front door. "I'm leaving." _

_The house falls eerily silent._

_/_

_Sasuke and Naruto are laying on Sasuke's bed, looking bored out of their minds. "'Suke, let's go do something..." Naruto murmurs. Sasuke tilts his head and looks at Naruto. "Like what, Naru?" Naruto rolls onto his stomach. "I don't know..." _

_There's a knock, and then Mikoto swiftly enters. She gives a small smile, but her eyes look a little tense. "Sasuke why don't you take Naruto to the park, okay? D... Don't come back till later." Her words come out in a flourish. Sasuke and Naruto sit up.  
_

_"Okay..." Sasuke says. Naruto yells out in happiness and grabs Sasuke hand, pulling him out the room, down the stairs and to the door. _

_They pass by Itachi on the way out. He watches them carefully. "Sasuke." Naruto stops pulling him, and they look at Itachi. "... Stay out as long as Naruto-kun wants, okay?" _

_Sasuke starts getting a strange feeling in his stomach. "... Hai." he says hesitantly. _

_Itachi nods, and they continue to the park._

_/_

_Naruto sighs while swinging back and forth, kicking his legs. _

_It's dark, probably around ten o' clock. Sasuke looks back down the road, the one that leads to the Uchiha Complex. "Naruto, how much longer?" he asks. Naruto yawns, but refuses to give in to the need for sleep. "Just a little longer..." Sasuke gets that feeling in the pit of his stomach again._

_"Let's just go check, and then come back."_

_Naruto looks down at Sasuke. "Huh?... Aww... Okay 'Suke." He jumps off and they head down the road._

_When the reach the entrance, Sasuke notices it's awfully quiet. The feeling in his stomach is stronger than before, and he recognizes it now. _

_Fear._

_"Naru, you wait here okay? I shouldn't be too long..." Naruto nods groggily and sits down. A few moments later he closes his eyes and drifts off. Sasuke watches him for a moment before stepping through the entrance.  
_

_/_

_At first it's too dark to see anything, the pale moonlight morphing shadows. Sasuke's eyes adjust and what he sees shocks him. _

_Corpses, everywhere. The Uchiha symbol is plastered onto their bloodstained clothes. Sasuke's legs start to shake. He takes a small step forward, only to step in blood. His breath comes out faster. "Okaa-san... Oto-san... Aniki..." he mutters to himself. With new determination, Sasuke shoots off, running as fast as he can to his home. His eyes start stinging with tears. _

_He reaches his house and slams the door open. "Okaa-san! Oto-san!" He screams. The house is silent. Dread starts to fill Sasuke's heart as he runs to his parents bedroom. He swings the door open._

_Two body's lie in the center of the room. Sasuke's tears flow over as he realizes it's his parents dead body's. He rushes forward but stops when someone steps out of the shadows. _

_It's Itachi._

_/_

_Naruto blinks his eyes open, and then closes them again. "'Suke is taking a long time..." he mutters to himself. _

_/_

_Darkness starts pulling at the edges of Sasuke's vision._

_"Hate me... Detest me... Survive... Cling to life, and some day step before me with the same eyes I have now,"_

_The darkness consumes him, and Sasuke falls unconscious. The last word that drifts through his mind is a name.  
_

_Naruto._

_/_

_Naruto snaps his eyes open. Someone is standing in front of him. He looks up and relaxes. It's Itachi._

_"Ita-nii," he murmurs happily. Itachi bends down and carefully picks him up. He starts walking away from the Uchiha complex. Naruto watches as they walk further and further away. He turns in Itachi's arms. "Ita-nii, where are we going?"_

_"I'm taking you home." _

_Naruto presses his cheek against Itachi's neck. "Oh... What about 'Suke?" _

_"... He knows." _

_Naruto giggles. "Ita-nii you're so nice." _

_"I'm the opposite of nice, Naruto-kun."_

_Naruto turns and looks up at him again. "Eh? Uso Ita-nii!" _

_"Just go back to sleep, Naruto-kun..." _

_Naruto once again presses his cheek to Itachi's neck._

_/_

_Itachi lays Naruto down onto his bed. He tucks him under the covers and then breathes deeply. Itachi forms some seals, and then places his hand on Naruto's forehead. A strange pattern expands across Naruto's face, and then there's a soft glow. _

_"Naruto-kun... you'll take care of Sasuke, won't you?" _

_He removes his hand and steps away from the boy. He watches him for a moment before he suddenly disappears. _

_in the morning, Naruto won't remember anything._

_/_

_"Where's Naruto?!" Sasuke yells. The nurse looks puzzled. "U-um... I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, but I-," Sasuke pushes past her and exits the hospital. _

_'Naru. Naru. Naru.' he thinks rapidly to himself. _

_Sasuke goes through the market place, but Naruto is never found. He goes to the docks, but he still can't find him. A rational thought pops into Sasuke's head. 'His house.' _

_/_

_Sasuke knocks on Naruto's door and waits anxiously. After a few seconds there's a muffled Coming! and then the door opens. Relief rushes through Sasuke and he nearly tackles Naruto to the ground. _

_"Ah! W-what are you doing?!" Naruto shouts. He pushes Sasuke off. Sasuke looks confused. "What are you talking about Naru?" he asks. Naruto looks frightened. "Go away!" _

_He pushes Sasuke out the door with as much strength as his five year old body can muster. "Go away!" he shouts again. Naruto slams the door and locks it. _

_Sasuke stands in front of the door, shocked beyond belief. After a minute , he presses his palm against the door. "Did I do something wrong?" he whispers. Naruto jolts. "I said go away!" he yells again, his voice muffled by the door. "Or i'll... or i'll call the Hokage on you!"  
_

_Sasuke doesn't move. _

_After a about fifteen minutes, Naruto speaks again. "... Are you still there?" When he gets no answer, he opens the door. Sasuke is gone._

* * *

"I don't understand..." Naruto says. Sasuke looks away. "Of course you wouldn't. I don't expect you to." Ino sets her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You, Sakura and Sasuke-kun were on a team together. Team 7."

* * *

_"Alright minna, settle down please!" Iruka hollers. After a moment or two the class quiets down. "Today i'll be assigning you to your teams! Since you _are_ all qualified Gennin." Whispers start throughout the room. _

_Naruto, older now around twelve or thirteen, is sitting at a table by himself in the corner. Sasuke, also around twelve or thirteen, watches him quietly from the corner of his eye. He's sitting on the other side of the classroom. Sakura sits next to Sasuke.  
_

_Iruka starts calling out names, and then assigns them to a team. There are three people to each team. _

_"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura..." Naruto jumps up and shouts in happiness. Sakura smacks her forehead against the table. "... and Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto and Sakura reverse rolls. "You three will be Team 7." _

_Naruto glares at Sasuke, who in turn, ignores him. "Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be paired up with Sasuke! He's just going to get in my way!" Iruka sighs and his eyebrow twitches. "Naruto. The teams are put together by skill, evening everything out. Sasuke is top of the class, while you're bottom of the bottom." Naruto blushes when the class starts to laugh at him. Sasuke closes his eyes. _

_/_

_(A/N: I'm going to be doing time-skips, BTW.)_

_Naruto watches as Sasuke and Sakura eat their food. His stomach rumbles and he sighs. He try's to loosen the rope tied around him, but it won't budge. _

_His stomach growls again. _

_Sasuke looks at him quietly. After another minute, he sighs and holds up his lunch. "Here." Naruto stays at the offered food. Sakura gasps. "Oh! Sasuke-kun you shouldn't give Naruto your food... Here Naruto, you can have mine." Naruto immediately looks at Sakura. "A-are you sure, Sakura-chan?" he asks. Her smile twitches. "Yeah... I'm on a diet- Uh I mean, Sasuke-kun doesn't eat as much as me so... Here." Naruto looks down at his tied hands. "I can't feed myself, Sakura-chan..." _

_His voice is laced with hope. A vein throbs in Sakura's forehead. "Only once, you hear me?!" _

_/_

_Sasuke gasps as Orochimaru bites his neck. Sakura watches in horror. Orochimaru removes his fangs and his head goes back to his body. A seal forms where Orochimaru bit it. Sasuke starts screaming and Sakura reaches out to help. _

_"What did you do?!" She yells. _

_"Sasuke-kun will come to me..." is the only thing Orochimaru says before vanishing. Sasuke screams again and grabs onto anything he can. Sakura holds out her hand and he starts squeezing it. "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun he's gone!" she says. Sasuke suddenly collapses. _

_Sakura stares in shock. "Sasuke... -kun... N-Naruto! Naruto, Sasuke-kun is-!," She looks up and sees Naruto handing off the side of the tree. He had been knocked out earlier. _

_Sakura bows her head and pulls Sasuke closer to her. "What do I do?..."_

_/_

_"Thank you for saving me from the Sand Monster, Sasuke-kun." Sakura says, putting her hands behind her back. Sasuke narrows his eyes. "No... that wasn't me." Sakura looks confused._

_"It was Naruto."_

_Sakura's eyes widen, but then they soften. They both watch Naruto, who's talking excitedly to Kakashi-sensei, the Jounin in charge of their team. "Wow... Naruto sure has gotten strong, huh?" Sakura says. _

_Sasuke's hands clench in his pockets._

_/_

_"Naruto... please... This is... A once in a lifetime request... Bring Sasuke-kun back to the village..." Tears pour down Sakura's cheeks. Naruto watches her with a pained look. He looks down, and his eyes go half-mast. "You must be hurting bad, huh Sakura-chan?... I know how you feel." He holds up his arm and gives her a thumbs up. A fake smile is plastered on his face. _

_"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I'll get Sasuke back no matter what!"_

_/_

_"SASUKE!" _

_Naruto's voice echo's throughout the Valley End. Sasuke stops walking and slowly turns. The curse seal that Orochimaru had put on him has grown, covering half of his face. Naruto sighs and try's for a smile. "Sasuke, there you are. Come on, we have to go home-," _

_"I'm not going home." _

_Naruto frowns. "What do you mean, Sasuke?" _

_"I'm going to Orochimaru." _

_/_

_Naruto slams Sasuke down against the wall. He's straddling him. "Has it gotten through your head yet now, Sasuke?! I'm not letting you go to Orochimaru!" Sasuke squints his eyes, his face is contorted from pain. _

_"Naruto... We suffer because of our bonds... You don't know how it feels to lose them!" _

_Sasuke embraces Naruto and they fall a little ways down the cliff. Sasuke ends up taking the impact of the landing. When they get to the water they both hop up on logs. Naruto has a sad look on his face.  
_

_"It's true... I don't know anything about parents or siblings... but...," he thinks about Iruka taking him to eat ramen. "I wonder if this is what it's like having a father... And when i'm with you... if this is what it's like having a brother." _

_Sasuke has a look of pain on his face. "Naruto... Why would go you so far for me?" _

_"This is one of the first bonds i've ever had." Sasuke looks up, surprised. Naruto is smiling at him._

_"That's why... i'll stop you!" _

_/_

_Sasuke is standing over an unconscious Naruto. A hurt expression is on his face. "Naruto... I..." He stops when it starts to rain. He looks up to the sky and let's the rain wash over him. _

_Pain shoots up his left arm and he grabs it, falling to his knees. His headband clatters down to the ground. Sasuke coughs up some blood that splatters next to Naruto. He leans down, his face inches away from Naruto's own. He stares at Naruto's closed eyes._

* * *

"Well, what happened?"

Ino glances at Sasuke. "That's for you to remember, I guess..."

* * *

_"Naruto... where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asks him. He's barely conscious, laying on Kakashi-sensei's back. They're rushing to the hospital. "Sa... suke..." he murmurs. Kakashi looks down at Sakura. "How can you ask him that right now, Sakura?" He didn't mean for it to come out so forceful. Sakura hesitates.  
_

_"Naruto was... Naruto was supposed to bring Sasuke-kun back! He promised..." Kakashi starts walking ahead of her. "Sakura. If you're not here for Naruto, then leave." _

_Sakura's steps slow, until finally they stop. Kakashi leaves her in the market place of the village. The rain continues to pour._

_/_

_Naruto blinks his eyes open. Kakashi is sitting next to him, reading a book. "Ah. Naruto, you're awake." he says. Naruto is dazed. He looks around and spots Sasuke's headband on the table next to him. He lifts his hand up slightly and try's to reach for it. Kakashi hands it to him._

_"I'm sorry I didn't make it there in time." Kakashi whispers. "Forgive me, Naruto." _

_Naruto stares at the headband. "So... Sasuke is..." Kakashi nods. _

_Something brakes inside of Naruto. The tears flow freely from his eyes. He makes no move to wipe them away. _

_Naruto closes his eyes and drifts._

_/_

_"What's wrong with him?" The Hokage asks. He watches Naruto's sleeping form.  
_

_"Naruto has fallen into a coma." Tsunade, the head of the medical system, says. Sarutobi bows his head. "Sarutobi." Tsunade says. "The cause of it is because of the trauma of losing Uchiha Sasuke. He wakes up every now and again... I'd suggest swiping his memory." Sarutobi turns on her. "That's already happened before, and look where it got us. That's a big part of the reason why Sasuke left. Doing it again will just cause more trouble."_

_"The Akatsuki are going to be hunting him down! Don't you think it's better for him?" _

_"He'd be safer here!" _

_Tsunade flushes with anger. "So you'd have Naruto stay like this?! Laying in bed, mourning over a lost friend?... Iruka could go with him. He can watch over him. Naruto can start another life. Hell, have his friends go with him. The Akatsuki won't be able to touch him. And then, with his memory swiped, he won't remember any of this."_

_Sarutobi falls silent. He turns and looks at the blond boy again. 'Is this what you would have wanted...' he thinks to himself. 'Minato... Kushina...' _

_He turns and exits the room. His voice echo's down the hall._

_"Get to it immediately."_

* * *

Kiba's mother seems to have enough of waiting. "Alright come on! You can talk more when we get to the village! Ikuzo!"

**/**

**Wow. My hand hurts. **

**Alright, I will take some credit. I did all that by memory. Thank you, thank you. **

**A big thanks to my new beta, Mikochi Uchiha. She's a big help.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Okay let's move on, shall we?**

**I feel that when people first start to watch Naruto, they go with the obvious choice and ship NaruSaku/NaruHina/SasuSaku, because that's just what you'd expect. I had never heard or thought of the SasuNaru pairing before, so I went with the obvious ship. The first time I heard it, I denied it in everyway possible because I had been shipping the other pairings (except for SasuSaku because let's face it, that pairing will never happen). But throughout the rest of the day after I heard it, everything was clicking and piecing together.**

**The beautiful thing about the SasuNaru pairing is that, while the other pairings have their "moments", the SasuNaru pairing is there for the entirety of the show. It's about the relationship these two boys have, the bond they have that they can't seem to break. The choices they make practically revolve around each other, and their lives depend on what the other does.**

**With the other pairings, things would have to change and revolve so it could work out. But with the SasuNaru pairing, nothing has to change because it's ALREADY THERE.**

**That's the beauty of SasuNaru. It really is the most canon ship in the series.**

**/**

"How much further?" Naruto asks.

Tenten sighs, "Naruto, you've asked that already..."

Naruto's silent for a moment, "How many more miles?"

She sighs again. "I guess it's a start..."

Naruto looks back. Sasuke's being escorted in the back of the group. He's been silent since they started walking again.

Sasuke feels his eyes on him and looks up. They stare at each other until Naruto runs into someone. "Oy Naruto, watch it." Kiba gripes. Naruto mumbles an apology. After another few minutes of silence, Naruto picks up his pace and walks next to Kiba.

"Neh Kiba... I don't know what I did but... I'm sorry." He starts. "If you really thought I was ignoring you, just know that I wasn't!... Everything's so confusing right now. But the worst part about it is I don't even feel scared, I just want answers... And if my mind really did get swiped...," Naruto hugs himself. "I just want to remember."

Kiba doesn't say anything. Naruto sighs and hugs himself tighter. "God, you're just like Sasuke..."

Naruto doesn't know exactly what happened, but he's suddenly in Kiba's grasp. The group stops moving. "Don't compare me to that traitor, Naruto!" Naruto stares, eye's wide and mouth agape. Kiba releases him and Naruto stumbles back. "You don't know what Sasuke did to you. It's like he tore out your heart, and now he's here to do it again... Sasuke isn't who you think he is, Naruto. He's not some good guy who looks like he's being prejudiced."

Naruto doesn't know what to say. Kiba waves to his mother, and the group hesitantly continues walking. Naruto stands still for a moment or two. Ino grabs his hand and pulls him along.

"Kiba's always been angry at Sasuke for leaving," she whispers.

Naruto returns the hold, squeezing Ino's hand, "Were... Sasuke and Kiba close?"

Ino shakes her head, "No, but I guess you and Kiba could be considered friends."

Naruto looks at her incredulously, "Could be? What do you mean?"

"Well, obviously you and Kiba have gotten closer together now... but you guys weren't necessarily 'buddy buddy' when you were here. But you two still cared about each other, you're comrades after all. When Sasuke-kun left, it hurt all of us. Sasuke-kun was a Shinobi of the Leaf. It almost felt like losing a friend to the battlefield. So Kiba has never forgiven him for leaving."

Naruto moves closer to her, and they release hands. "What did Kiba mean by Sasuke 'ripping out my heart'?"

Ino sighs, "It can be interpreted in two ways, because there are two different ways he actually did. The first is exactly how it seems, except it's not like your heart _left_ your body..." Naruto feels a headache coming on. "You tried to stop Sasuke-kun when he was leaving, and you two ended up fighting-,"

"With like, words right?"

Ino smiles harshly. "Ah. In some sort of way, yes... Sasuke-kun jabbed his hand through you, and was going for your heart but stopped. I'm not sure why though...,"

Naruto rubs his forehead. Images flash through his mind.

Sasuke flying towards him, electricity surrounds his hand. His eyes are hard, but something flashes through them...

"... so they decided to swipe your mind. We couldn't let you go alone, so we came with you and you started a whole new life."

Naruto snaps his gaze to Ino. "Um... what?" Ino turns on him. "Maji de Naruto! You weren't even listening!"

"Sorry sorry..." Naruto murmurs, rubbing his forehead again. "Something weird happened is all..." Ino sighs and grabs her pony-tail, twisting it.

"I was saying that you totally fell into an angst coma. You missed Sasuke-kun so bad. So then, they swiped your memory and sent you to the Human World. We didn't want you to go alone, even if you had Iruka, so we came with you to protect you. Naruto... you really don't remember anything, do you?"

Naruto looks down. "No... You'd think if I did, we wouldn't be in this mess?" Ino giggles. "It's funny seeing you like this. So... innocent. You had quite the mouth on you, and you were always hot-headed... Not to mention stupid." Naruto glares at her. "Hey! I'll have you know, my only weak subject is Algebra!"

"No, no. Your stupidity had nothing to do with... well, I guess it did. Naruto, things are different in the Demon World. You want to know what you have to do to make money? Go on missions. The amount of money you get depends on the rank of the mission."

Naruto tilts his head. "So... what are the ranks?"

Ino holds out her fingers and counts them off. "D-rank, C-rank, B-rank and A-rank. D-rank is for Genin. That's like doing chores around the village. C-rank is a step up. Sometimes Genin get to do those, depending on the circumstances. C-rank missions are like, escorting people to other places. C-rank's are for Chuunin's. B-rank are for Jounin and Chuunin. B-rank's are like, spying and assassination missions. Then, there's A-rank. Those are usually assigned to Jounin. A-rank are real dangerous, they usually are for the Village's or Country's personal interest."

Naruto looks at her confusingly. "Um... What are... those words you were saying?"

Ino laughs. "Sorry, sorry! I should have told you what they were. Those are ninja ranks. First you go into the Academy, which is a big damn drag. Then you graduate and become a Genin. Then, there are the Chuunin exams and if you pass you become a Chuunin. Then Jounin... And then, for you, Hokage."

"What's the Hokage?"

The whole group stops. "Damn Naruto they swiped you good." Ino says. They start to continue down the trail.

Tenten joins in. "The Hokage is the leader and protector of the village. You could also say, the strongest Shinobi in the village."

"You know... The Demon World doesn't sound too horrible... In fact, it sounds rather organized."

Ino scoffs and crosses her arms. "What exactly do they teach you over there?"

"You went to the same school with me." Naruto deadpans.

Ino blushes and grabs her pony-tail again. "Oh! Yeah! I forgot..."

* * *

"N-Naruto-kun... we're here." Hinata says.

Naruto blinks his eyes open and lifts up his head. He had been real tired so Souta carried him on his back.

Naruto steps down and his eyes widen as he takes the scenery all in.

There's a giant green gate that's opened. A symbol, just like the one on the headbands Naruto saw, is printed on the archway of the gate. As they walk through, two men stare at Naruto. "I-is that...?" One them says. The other stands and watches even after they pass, leaning over the table. "It is!"

Naruto takes in the architecture of the village. "It's like... a modern Japanese village... Except it's _huge_!" He exclaims. He squints. "Does that mountain have faces on it?"

Ino nods, a bright grin expanding n her face. "Yep! Those are our predecessors, the previous Hokage's." Naruto counts how many faces there are. "So... who's the Hokage right now?"

"Well, right now it's the Honorable Hokage. The Third. Haruzen Sarutobi. He's in charge of things right now, but not for long. Tsunade-sama, the head of the medical system, is going to become the Gondaime Hokage. I'm so excited!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata calls. Naruto and Ino look up, they hadn't realized that the group left them behind. They run ahead to catch up.

"Sorry, I was telling Naruto about the Hokage's." Ino says.

Hinata smiles timidly. "Oh."

"Hey Hinata," Naruto says, "you're the last person who I would have thought was a demon. You're too nice."

Hinata blushes and smiles again, "T-thank you Naruto-kun... Actually, I c-come from a v-very respected clan. The H-Hyuuga Clan."

"Woah, really?!"

Hinata nods and starts twiddling her fingers. "Mm... I wonder what N-Neji-niisan will t-think when he s-sees you, N-Naruto-kun..."

"Who's Neji?"

"M-my cousin..."

Naruto sighs and crosses his arms, "This is a lot to take in, but i'm surprisingly calm... I guess... Just confused. I want to remember," He smiles. "I guess that's just because i'm so used to Demons now..." He stops walking, "I'm a Demon now..."

Lee grabs Naruto's shoulder, "Don't worry Naruto-kun! We don't have horns and donkey tails! Or hooves! In fact, we're rather attractive! With bushy eye-brows and silky hair, put together with green spandex!"

Ino's eyebrow twitches, "Gai-sensei isn't exactly what you'd call a piece of art..."

"I know," Naruto says. "I mean, that's just the way I was taught... At least, I thought it was... You guys don't reek havoc to the world. And you're all nice, and not intimidating. Well, unless you count Kiba's mom... I think we've been... Or, humans have been thinking about it all wrong. But I don't understand how we could have gotten that assumption, you know, that you guys only live to destroy humanity."

The group shares a look. Ino leans forward and starts whispering. "Sasuke-kun told you about Konoha's past, right?"

Naruto thinks about it, "Um... Yes. How those two people came together and made a peace treaty of some sort?"

Ino nods. "That was a long, long loooong time ago. When the two Clans, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan, were fighting. The battlefield was in the Human World and the Demon world. I think the Humans labeled Uchiha Madara as Satan. His powers were Godlike. So were Senju Hashirama's." Naruto takes in every word. "You want to know something, Naruto? Tsunade-sama is the first Hokage's granddaughter."

Naruto eyes widen. "Woah. She must be really old."

They walk through what Naruto could only describe as a Market Place. The villagers stand stalk still. They stare at him with wide eyes, Naruto isn't sure if its shock, worry or fear. Maybe all three.

Ino laughs and hooks her arm with Naruto's. Tenten walks backwards, standing in front of Naruto and the others. Tenten speaks. "You'll be really surprised when you see her, Naruto!" Naruto rolls his eyes.

"I'm sure that I'm going to love meeting an old lady."

They reach a building with a red roof. It sits in front of the mountain with faces. Kiba's mother turns and faces the group. "Alright, I expect everyone to be on their best behavior! Especially you, Uchiha. I don't need any of that attitude, got it?" Sasuke stays silent. "Hm. Ikuzo!"

* * *

They lead Naruto up some stairs. They come to a level, and then take more stairs. "How high up is it?" he asks.

Ino shrugs. "I've never payed attention."

After a few more flights they reach the top. They walk down a long hallway until they reach a door. Souta knocks. There's a muffled 'Enter'.

Kiba's mother sends a warning glare before opening the door and stepping inside.

It's like any other office, except it has a large glass window overlooking the village. A figure stands by the glass, looking away from the group. "Hokage-sama." Souta says. Everyone bows except Naruto and Sasuke.

The figure turns, and Naruto is surprised to see an old man. When he sees Naruto he smiles. "My my... Look how big you've gotten." He has a kind voice, Naruto thinks the man would be a wonderful grandfather.

It's silent. Naruto flushes and then bows quickly. "U-um... Hello. I'm sorry but, do I know you?"

The old man chuckles, "Well, I wouldn't expect you to remember, but yes. Uzumaki Naruto, it's been a long time." The man walks forward and embraces Naruto. It's kind of awkward for Naruto, but he returns the hug.

"Naruto, this is the Honorable Hokage." Tenten says.

Naruto flushes even more, "O-oh! I had been so informal..."

The Hokage chuckles, "You used to be worse then that." he leans forward. "You used to call me Grandpa Hokage. You can call me that if you like, I kind of miss it."

The Third looks at Sasuke. Sasuke averts his eyes and looks to the wall. "Sasuke, i'm disappointed in y-." The Third starts.

Sasuke cuts him off. "I don't want to hear it old man-,"

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouts. Sasuke falls silent. Naruto huffs and crosses his arms. "Geez..." Naruto looks Sasuke over. "Hey, I know i'm really late, but why is Sasuke in cuffs?"

The Third raises his brows. Ino hits Naruto on the arm. "Weren't you listening to anything I said? Sasuke-kun left the village!" Naruto shrugs. "So?"

"So that's.. Ugh. I wish you had your memory back already."

Naruto looks crestfallen. "Wait, does Sasuke have to go to jail or something?"

"That's exactly what it means, Naruto-kun."

Naruto turns to the new voice. "Sai!" he exclaims. Sai smiles and holds out a folder. Naruto opens it and scans the contents.

"Abandoning one's village is a felony. Luckily for Sasuke-kun, he hasn't done anything yet except for that. So his charges aren't too intense."

"Well, how long does Sasuke have to be in there?" Naruto asks.

"Oh, not long." Sai says. Naruto sighs with relief.

"Probably around five years."

"Five?!" Naruto screeches.

Sai smiles again. "Mm. Sasuke-kun still needs to be punished, after all."

"Don't worry Naruto," Sasuke says. Naruto and Sasuke make eye contact. "I won't be in there long." It goes silent again.

"Alright. Let's go, down to the cellars for you Uchiha." Kiba's mother says.

Naruto holds out his hand. "Uh... Will I be able to see Sasuke?"

"Nope."

"W-Why not?"

Sasuke is being ushered out the door. "Geez, you really do need to remember." He says.

The door clicks shut and it's silent once again.

* * *

"Don't worry Naruto! You'll be able to see Sasuke-kun again!" Ino says. Tenten nods her head in agreement.

"What I don't understand is why Sasuke's suddenly all nice to Naruto," Kiba says. "The last time they saw each other, Sasuke tried to kill him."

Naruto fumes at that. "Don't talk as if i'm not here, Kiba!"

"Well it's true! I don't know what he's up to but it's weird. Why'd Sasuke go to you? Why now?"

Naruto looks down. "You think I can answer that? I barely know what's going on."

Kiba looks away from him, "Well if you want some kind of pity fest, too bad."

"Kiba! Stop being a jerk!" Tenten shouts. Hinata looks back and forth.

"A-ano...," Everyone looks at her. "... I think S-Sasuke-kun is f-feeling conflicted... He o-obviously has f-feelings for N-Naruto-kun...," She starts to blush, and she twiddles her fingers. "A-At least that's what I t-think..."

"If Sasuke really cared for Naruto-," Kiba says. "-then he wouldn't have left in the first place."

"B-but... Sasuke-kun's emotionally u-unstable... And h-he-,"

"Since when did you become a psychologist, Hinata?!"

Hinata flinches and hides her face. "I-I-,"

"Kiba, don't be an ass!" Naruto shouts.

Kiba turns on Naruto, "And you! How can be so comfy with Sasuke?! He abandoned the village! He's a traitor!"

"But he didn't do anything-,"

"Whatever!... This is ridiculous." Kiba stomps away. Naruto holds out his hand, but then let's it drop to his side.

"S-sorry N-Naruto-kun... I-I didn't m-mean to provoke K-Kiba-kun..." Hinata stutters.

"It's fine Hinata... If Kiba wants to be a jerk, then let him."

He looks at her, "You like Sasuke too, right?"

Hinata looks down, "W-well... Sasuke-kun and I were n-never well acquainted..."

"Then who do you like?"

A deep blush expands across her face. "U-um... N-no one i-in particular..."

"Ahh come on Hinata! You can tell me!"

"O-oh... well... I-I...," She starts fidgeting. "I-I did like... y-you f-for a w-while..."

Naruto tilts his head. "But now?"

"K... Kiba-k-kun..."

Naruto's shoulders sag. "Oh... Well... I'm sure Kiba will get over it soon. Then you can confess to him, right Hinata?" Naruto says, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Hinata's smiles up at him with soft eyes. "... Mm."

"Naruto, I want you to meet Tsunade-sama." Ino says. Naruto nods his head and follows Ino down the hallway.

* * *

The woman standing in front of Naruto was not what he expected at all.

Tall, blonde and beautiful. No wrinkles. She has brown eyes that are actually very intimidating. She has a slender body. The thing that really catches Naruto's attention is her giant chest.

She laughs, and her boobs bounce. Naruto feels his cheeks heat up and he has to force himself to look her in the eyes. 'Who knew I was such a pervert...' he thinks to himself.

"Ohh my. You've gotten tall, gaki."

"U-uh... thanks?"

'Who is she calling kid?' he thinks sarcastically.

"But you're still not taller than the guys, I see. Shame. I guess you were destined to _be_ plowed, not do the plowing." Naruto blushes. "T-Tsunade-sama..." Ino says, a light blush on her cheeks. "I'm just having fun with him. Come here, Naruto."

Naruto walks over to her and she nearly crushes him in a hug. His face gets pressed against her boobs and he mentally sighs. 'I am starting to question my sexuality...'

Tsunade releases him and grins. "Well, are you ready to get back to work?" Naruto lifts a brow. "Work? What do you mean?"

"Get back to doing missions."

Tenten intervenes. "Wait Tsunade-sama, you do know that Naruto hasn't regained his memory right?" Tsunade nods. "Of course I do."

"Then you know that he can't just... go back to what he was usually doing, right?"

"I'm sure that if we put him out there, he would get the hang of things. Naruto was always a fast learner. And he learns best by doing, not seeing."

Tenten shrugs and gives Naruto a helpless look. "Sorry, Naruto." Naruto shrugs. "It's fine. I mean, how hard can it be anyways?" Tsunade laughs and walks past him. "Ohh, I missed you."

* * *

"I want to see Sakura and Iruka before I go anywhere else!" Naruto says. Ino takes his hand and starts pulling him back to the building they had seen the Hokage in. "Alright."

/

"Iruka!" Naruto shouts running towards him. Iruka turns and smiles. "Naruto! There you are!" Naruto's pace slows until he stops completely. Iruka looks confused.

"You're a really good actor, Iruka..." Unexpected pain floods Naruto's heart. Iruka holds out his arms. "... Y-you... I just... Iruka!" Naruto runs forward and nearly knocks Iruka down. A keen racks his body and Iruka rubs his back. "I'm sorry Naruto. I'm sorry I lied to you, but it was for the best..." Naruto sobs and the tears flow hard.

"S-So... I-I really a-am alone!"

Iruka hugs Naruto tighter. "No Naruto. Never again, I promise."

Naruto calms down a little. After a few more sobs he pulls away and wipes his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me..." he murmurs. Iruka smiles down at him.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turns to Sakura. She has her hands balled up at her sides. A sad look is plastered on her face. "Sakura? What is it?"

"I don't know what's going on... but I was scared. I didn't know what they were going to do to you. After they knocked you out, Iruka showed up and begged them not to swipe my memory... again. So... I think we're both in the same boat, Naruto."

Naruto feels somewhat relieved that he isn't the only one in this situation. Then he feels sad and angry that Sakura has to go through what he has to go through, the feeling of not knowing.

**/**

**I think... i'm going to end this chapter here. I need to figure out how to move the story further even more, and fill some plot holes if I find any... Okay. Review please!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Sophomore baby!**

**/**

Naruto throws his head back and sighs. He lays still for a few moments before turning on his side and sighing again. Then, he sighs and covers his face with a pillow. "Sasuke..." It's muffled. He groans and sits up. "Why won't they let me see him?" He narrows his eyes. "It's not like he'd do anything... Stupid Sasuke! Why'd you have to do something?!" Naruto throws the pillow at the wall and flops back down onto the bed.

His fist clenches and un-clenches on the sheets. "Stupid Sasuke..." He lifts up his hand and stares at it. "What could he have possibly done to me?" His head starts to pound. Naruto sighs and closes his eyes, letting sleep take its course.

* * *

_"Oy teme, what're we doing out here?" Naruto asks. He can't see himself, it's as if everything is through his own eyes. Sasuke walks in front of him, some kind of symbol is on his back. _

_"Shut up Usuratonkachi."_

_"Ahh don't call me that!" _

_Sasuke looks back and smirks. He's younger, looking about thirteen. Naruto gazes around the field. It's a wheat crop field that hasn't been harvested yet. The golden stocks glitter in the sunlight. "Behhh... It's hot!"  
_

_"I told you to wear your summer clothes." _

_Naruto huffs and he can see his arms crossing. "Where are we going?!" He whines. Sasuke's quiet. "Don't ruin it, dobe." He says finally. Naruto doesn't say anything. _

_They walk over a hill, and Naruto can see the at edge of the field, a forest. There's a long expanse of dirt in-between the field and forest. Naruto sees gray stones sticking up from the ground. _

_He glances at Sasuke. Sasuke has a solemn expression on his face. "This is the Uchiha grave." He murmurs quietly. A gust of wind blows, whipping their hair wildly. "I haven't been here once since their deaths. I was too afraid." He looks at Naruto. "But with you here with me, I don't feel afraid anymore." Naruto stares at him._

_All he remembers is Sasuke's smiling face._

* * *

Naruto snaps his eyes open. His head is hurting even worse than before. He rubs his forehead and turns onto his back. It's still dark outside, the clock says 1:30 a.m.

"Was that a dream?" He whispers out-loud to the dark room. "Or... a memory?"

Naruto lays there for a moment before sliding out of bed. "They have to have aspirin in the Demon World, right?" He jokes to himself. Naruto walks down the hall quietly, careful not to wake Iruka and Sakura. He reaches the bathroom and rummages through the medicine cabinet.

"Perfect." He groans to himself. "Everything but what I need. God, give me the strength to make it to the store without falling down dead." He starts walking to the front door but his pace falters some. "Am I even... allowed to do that?" He thinks about it. If he's a demon, what right does he have to pray to God? "I'll ask Iruka about it later." He finalizes.

/

Naruto slowly steps down a small flieght of stairs, every step making his head pound harder. He reaches the store and pulls the glass door open and a bell rings. A man looks up from over the counter. When he spots Naruto, he scowls. "What do you want?"

Naruto is a little taken aback by his rude demeanor. "Um... I need some pain killers. Aspirin maybe?" The man points to an isle and Naruto takes a look.

"Aspirin... Aspirin..." He clutches his head again. "... Aspirin." He grabs the bottle and opens it. He takes four and swallows them dry. The man hollers from the front. "Hey hey! You have to pay first." Naruto thumps his chest a little, deciding it wasn't the best idea to take them without water. "Okay, sorry!" He chokes.

He walks up and pulls out some pocket money. The man looks at the aspirin with a bored expression. "Ten bucks." Naruto's eyes nearly pop out of his head. "Ten dollars for a tiny bottle of aspirin?!"

"Alright then. Twenty."

Naruto sighs and holds out the money he has. "How about five?" Then man narrows his eyes. "That's the regular price." Naruto groans and shakes the five. "Then why would you make me pay ten?!"

"Hmph. Whatever." The man snatches up the five and turns away from Naruto. "Get out of my store, I don't want you attracting anything weird in here, Kyuubi brat."

Naruto tilts his head. "Excuse me?" The man doesn't say anything so Naruto, confused and irritated, rushes out of the store.

"Kyuubi brat? What did he mean by that?... Is it a type of dog?" Naruto stares at the aspirin. Then he gasps and smacks his forehead. "Pako! I forgot about Pako!"

"Don't worry about him. He's safe."

Naruto jolts and looks up the stairs. "M... Mr. Kakashi?" Kakashi steps down the last of the stairs and crinkles his eye. "Yo, Naruto."

His clothes are different. He has a green vest on and black pants. Naruto takes in the weapons pouch secured at his side. Kakashi still has a mask on, but there's one of those headband things tilted so it covers his left eye.

"Mr. Kakashi what are you-,"

"Call me sensei now, Naruto. I am your sensei." Naruto frowns but continues. "Kakashi-sensei... What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a demon as well."

"No I mean, what are you doing here... as in at the store. It's like, two in the morning." Naruto deadpans. Kakashi blinks at him. "Aren't you surprised that i'm a demon too?"

"I've had too much energy drained from me to really care." Kakashi bows his head. "Oh.. okay..." Naruto changes the subject. "Where's Pako?"

"With Kiba."

Naruto tilts his head. "Why would he be with Kiba?"

"Kiba's a dog... um... breeder, you could say."

"Dog breeder?"

Kakashi nods his head. "You should see Akamaru. He's gotten big."

Naruto smiles weakly at him. "I don't recognize the name." He sighs and rubs his head. It hasn't gotten any better yet. "Kakashi-sensei... I'm kind of..." And unexpected wave of nausea overtakes him and he bends forward. Kakashi is there next to him. "Let me take you back, okay?" Naruto nods and Kakashi lifts him onto his back.

"Kakashi-sensei... did I used to know you?" Kakashi nods. "Yes. I was your teacher." He looks at Naruto fondly. "You have a lot of training to catch up on." Naruto groans and furrows his face into Kakashi's shoulder.

* * *

"I hate you. I really really hate you." Suigetsu growls again. Karin conks him over the head. "Shut up!" Juugo quiets both of them down. "Sasuke should be giving the signal soon. Please be quiet until then."

They glare at each other before listening to Juugo, hushing down.

* * *

Sasuke lifts up his head when he hears footsteps. A Chuunin, female, walks around the corner. 'Perfect.' he thinks. She sets his tray down and slides it under the bars. "Here you go, Sasuke-kun." She says.

"Thank you." The girl blushes a little and clears her throat. "U-um... I shouldn't be doing this, but..." She holds out a piece of cake. "I sneaked this. Here you go." Sasuke looks at it. "I don't like sweet things." She pulls back. "Oh... i'm sorry."

"But you could sit here and eat with me."

The girl blushes and looks down. "Okay..." They eat silently. Sasuke watches her carefully. "You have something..." She looks up. Sasuke lifts up his hand. "... right there." She leans forward unconsciously, her lips parted. Sasuke wipes off the cream from the cake off of her lip slowly. She licks where he touched her and reaches out.

Sasuke suddenly grabs the back of her neck and hits a pressure point, knocking her out. He wipes his hand off on the hospital clothes. "You're a horrible Shinobi." He tells the unconscious girl, reaching for the keys attached to her pants. "Getting lured in like that."

Sasuke puts his whole arm through the bar and unlocks the cell. He drags the girl in.

A few minutes later he steps out. He wears her Chuunin vest and pants. He also takes her weapons pouch. Sasuke tosses the keys in his hand and then locks the cell, leaving the girl.

He walks up the steps quietly. Sasuke opens the door leading down into the cellars and looks around. There's only two people and they're caught up in their own conversation. Sasuke steps out.

Luckily, the prisoner cells are located outside the village, so Sasuke freely steps into the forest. No one stops him. "Konoha has gone slack." He comments.

Someone rushes forward, and Sasuke catches a glimpse of red hair. He dodges Karin. "Sasuke-kun i'm so glad you're okay! But why didn't you disguise yourself better?!" Sasuke unzips the Chuunin vest and Karin starts to drool. He reveals a seal, crisscrossing down his abs. "This seal prevents me from using my chakra. Get it off." He orders.

* * *

Naruto blinks open his eyes as Iruka walks in. "I heard you got sick last night." Naruto sits up. His headache is gone. "Yeah it was pretty horrible."

Iruka smiles and helps Naruto out of bed. "Well, let's start the day anew. Sakura and I have been up for a while."

"What time is it?"

"It's around twelve p.m."

"Oh..."

* * *

"We aren't going back for Naruto-chan?" Suigetsu asks, looking back towards the village. They've already started walking on the trail, away from Konoha.

"No. It was a mistake trying to get Naruto to remember. And even if he did he wouldn't listen to me. Naruto is totally devoted to Konoha. He wouldn't leave for me."

"I would leave for you." Karin says, trying to get some of Sasuke's affection. "You barely considered leaving the Southern Hideout." Suigetsu says. "Yeah. Total devotion Karin."

"Shut up! I was always going to leave! I just had to make sure Sasuke-kun actually needed me... Unlike you!"

"Eh?! Sasuke came to me first, dumbass."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Juugo looks around quietly. "Sasuke. I rather liked Naruto-kun." Sasuke is silent. "Yeah, me too. But that loser won't listen to anyone... By the time he remembers, i'll already be gone."

"You aren't going to say goodbye?"

Sasuke stops and rummages through a bush. He pulls out a long sword and unsheathes it. He straps it on his back stares at the sword. "No... Because if I did." Sasuke lifts up the sword and slowly sheaths it. "I would have to kill him."

* * *

"Did you hear? Naruto is back." A blonde haired girl with a deep voice says. She's talking to a boy, his back is turned. "Are we going to go see him?"

The boy is silent. He has long flowing white robe on, with green kanji that reads "Kazekage". The boy slowly turns, his auburn hair highlighted by the sun. His jade eyes pierce the girls gaze. When he speaks, his voice is soft, nearly a whisper.

"Uzumaki Naruto... I wonder how he is."

The girl smirks and crosses her arms. "I'm sure you'll be happy to see him." The boy walks over to a desk and picks up a gourd. He slips it onto his back.

"Uzumaki Naruto..." he murmurs again. "Tell Kankuro we'll be heading out now, Temari." The girl, Temari, chuckles and opens the door. "You're more excited than you have been in a long time... Gaara."

* * *

"Hokage-sama!"

The Third looks up and blows out a puff of smoke. "Yes?"

"Uchiha Sasuke has broken out of prison."

Sarutobi sighs. "Who was on guard?"

"Um... I was, sir." The Jounin finishes lamely. "Well then you are to take responsibility, and go get Sasuke back."

"H-Hai, Hokage-sama!" He rushes out of the office. Tsunade appears at the door. "Already losing it Old Man?" She mocks. Sarutobi chuckles and sets his pipe to his mouth. "I'll feel much better when I die, knowing that you will be in charge, Princess Tsunade."

"Ahh. You and I both."

Sarutobi chuckles and stands. "Tsunade, from now on you will be giving the orders. Are you prepared?" Tsunade's expression suddenly becomes serious. "You know I am."

Another Jounin appears at the door. "Hokage-sama, we've gotten word from Suna. The Kazekage is on his way here now." Tsunade turns around. "Send a squad to meet them half-way. Inform them that Uchiha Sasuke is on the run, and if they run into him they have permission to capture him." The Jounin looks shocked. "H-Hai... Hokage-sama?" Tsunade grins and takes the hat Sarutobi was offering. "From now on, I Princess Tsunade Slug Sannin, will be Konoha's Gondaime Hokage!"

She places the ceremonial Kage hat on her head.

**/**

**Alright. It's shorter than the other chapters, but... I felt the need to stop it there. **

**Ohh, Gaara has now been entered. I don't know about anyone else but I just adore Gaara. And he's so protective of my little Naru-chan, I respect him for that. :3 GaaNaru is a nice fantasy pairing... A-Anyways i'm getting off track, heh heh... **

**Yes, Sarutobi didn't have to die for Tsunade to become Hokage. He's just getting old and retiring, like he did with Minato. **

**And please don't hate me for what Sasuke said. I mean, I wasn't going to keep the cuddle cuddle SasuNaru going on. Sasuke is a man on a mission, isn't that right Sasuke-chan?**

**Sasuke: Don't call me that.**

**Me: And just when I was beginning to like you... Review please!**


	23. Author's note

**Hey guys, sorry that I don't have the new chapter yet, but I just have to say something.**

**My account is acting weird, so when you review it will send a message to my gmail saying that you reviewed and Favorited etc.. But when I go on to FF (Fanfiction) it won't let me see what you said until someone else reviews... it's weird. So sorry if I can't reply at the moment to your review!**

**Thank you.**

**-Brooke**


	24. Chapter 22

**I made cake last night. :3 **

**/**

"So... Sasuke," Karin says, pushing back a branch. "Where are we headed?"

"I'm supposed to meet somebody." Is all Sasuke says.

Karin pales. "I-Is it a girl?!"

"No."

Karin sighs. "Ahh... Well then who are we meeting?"

Sasuke's quiet for a moment. "A member of the Akatsuki."

Suigetsu speaks up. "Ehh?! Why?!"

"We're joining the Akatsuki."

"You're joking! Those are the guys we were supposed to stay away from! They're going after Naruto-chan! What the fuck is up with you?!"

"Itachi is a part of the Akatsuki." A white wave of hot anger spreads throughout his body like poison. "That's why."

Suigetsu falls silent.

Karin pushes up her glasses. _Sasuke-kun..._ She thinks solemnly to herself. _Just how far will you go for your revenge?_

* * *

"Sasuke's gone?!" Naruto exclaims. Fear rushes through him. "W-why? Why'd he leave?!"

"I don't know." Tsunade answers, her voice a softer tone than usual. "But, don't worry Naruto. He shouldn't have gotten far."

Naruto is slightly relaxed by that. _That's right. This is the Demon World. Things are different here... _As much as he try's to calm himself, a nagging feeling is boiling at the pit of his stomach. Naruto feels more aggravated than worried. _Why would he leave?_ He feels deep down in his heart that he knows, but he can't seem to remember.

"At any rate, someone is on the way here to see you, Naruto. Get ready."

"What do you mean by 'get ready'?"

Tsunade smirks and Naruto feels like Sasuke should be the least of his worries. "Gaara doesn't know how to express himself, and he hasn't seen you in quite a while. You never know how he might act."

"Gaara? Who's Gaara?"

Tsunade flicks her wrist, waving Naruto out of the office. "Never mind you that..." She murmurs, her thoughts drifting to a nice bottle of sake. Naruto looks at her questioningly before exiting the room.

* * *

_Where are you now, Itachi?_ Sasuke watches the flames of the fire dance around, the bright ashes spiraling into the sky. _What are you thinking? Do you regret what you did?... It doesn't matter anymore. _Sasuke narrows his eyes. The flames mock him, reminding him how his only purpose for life is to achieve his revenge. He thinks about how his life was burnt by the flames of his brothers hatred.

"Soon I will burn you with my own flames." Sasuke covers his right eye. When he looks up, his eyes are red, three tomoe circulating around his pupil. "And you will be nothing but ash."

* * *

"The Kyuubi..." A tall man murmurs from under the shadows of a tree. "... is back. What shall we do?"

Another man sits opposite of him, his face concealed in the shadows as well. He slowly looks up, his grey eyes watching ominously. "We wait for orders. Don't be impatient Kisame."

Kisame grins, his teeth white sharp-pointed triangles. He leans forward and the moon light highlights his face. He has gill-like markings on each sides of his cheeks, his skin is a murky blue-green. "Ahh. Well, at least we get to relax."

"We've been _relaxing_ for the past three years."

Kisame laughs softly. It seems as though the grin is plastered onto his face. "You're an interesting guy Itachi. Do you ever have any fun?"

"There's no time to be playing around." Itachi's voice is monotone, almost no emotion in it at all. "Once again I worry about who i've been assigned with."

"Well i'm just happy we don't have to do anything quite yet. It would be a lot of work, capturing the Kyuubi." Itachi looks away and becomes silent. "I also heard your otouto is back. I'm not sure what he plans to do though..."

"Sasuke is a silly child with big ambitions." Is all Itachi says.

Kisame leans back and chuckles again. "Interesting guy indeed..."

* * *

"Gaara." Temari warns. Gaara looks up and watches as the Konoha shinobi come closer.

"Kazekage-sama!" One of them shouts as they come to a stop. "Uchiha Sasuke has escaped from prison."

"How could he have gotten away? You must have not been on your guard."

The shinobi flushes and looks down. "Hai. It was my fault, Kazekage-sama. The Gondaime Hokage has given you permission to capture Uchiha Sasuke if you spot him."

Gaara arches his non-existent eyebrows. "_Gon_daime?"

* * *

Naruto and Sakura gaze around the field curiously. Kakashi had called them there, but it's already been thirty minutes since the ordered time. "He's late..." Sakura murmurs.

Naruto sighs and sits down on the grass. "Why'd he call us here anyways?"

"I don't know... Can you believe all of this is really happening? I mean, it's insane. I feel like it's a dream..."

Naruto nods. "Well... I knew about Sasuke for a while... But I had no idea that I... I mean I guess it makes sense. How I was able to do those things."

"What things?"

Naruto grins and stands up. "I can walk up a tree! And cut a leaf in half with chakra!"

Sakura arches a pink brow. "Oh really?"

Naruto nods his head rapidly.

Before they can say anything else, Kakashi literally poofs out of no where. The smoke clear and he smiles at them. "Goooood morning!" He says.

A vein throbs in Sakura's forehead.

"You're late!" The younger two scream.

Kakashi chuckles. "Just like old times..."

"So Kakashi-sensei, what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asks.

Sakura stands beside him with her arms behind her back.

"Well you see..." Kakashi reaches into his pocket and pulls out two bells. "You will be taking these bells from me."

Sakura frowns and analyzes the bells. "But why? And how?"

"Just to analyze your skills." Kakashi shrugs, "Oh! And, you'll have to fight me to get them."

Naruto's eyes bulge. "What?! Kakashi-sensei this is crazy-,"

"It's a means of training."

Naruto crosses his arms and looks sideways at Sakura.

"But we're both still wearing our uniforms." Sakura says, pulling at her skirt.

Kakashi crinkles his eye. "That's fine. Now listen up. I know you two don't remember anything, but I still want you to try. If you feel anything different at all, don't worry. Just let your body try to remember."

Sakura and Naruto share a look.

"What does that mean?" Sakura asks, raising a pink brow.

Kakashi tilts his head. "I'm not so sure myself... Alright. You have till the morning."

Kakashi seems to disappear, leaving a confused Sakura and Naruto once again standing alone in the field.

* * *

"How much further?" Suigetsu asks, dragging his legs behind him. Karin turns around and glares at him. "Shut it! You can't walk for a little bit?!"

"It's so hot..."

"It's not even seventy degrees!"

"Quiet." Sasuke chides from the front of the group. "We're almost there."

The forest breaks open and they reach a field. Sasuke looks around, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo standing quietly behind him.

"You're early." A deep voice says suddenly.

Sasuke looks up into a tree on his right side.

A man with an orange mask and a black cloak is standing up on a branch, his left arm extended, touching the trunk for support. Sasuke furrows his brows. "Are you the Akatsuki?"

"One of them. You can call me Tobi."

"Tobi, huh... Uchiha Sasuke. And these are my... comrades. Team Taka."

The masked man, Tobi, tilts his head. "So you're the famous Uchiha Sasuke. You don't seem very strong."

"We didn't come here to fight you."

"I know." The man sets his hand on his hip. "What have you done?"

Sasuke looks slightly confused. "What do you mean?..."

"What have you done to show that you're able to be a part of our organization?"

"I left everything behind so I can achieve my revenge."

Tobi is quiet. "Very well then. Come with me, Team Taka." He turns and jumps down from the tree. Sasuke and the others follow.

* * *

"Sakura..." Naruto whispers. "I have no idea what i'm supposed to be doing."

Sakura worry's her lip, her arm linked with Naruto's as they quietly walk through the forest. "I don't either... Where did he go?" Naruto sighs in exasperation and shakes his head. "Fight him? Does that mean, like, fist-fighting or something?"

"You think if I knew we'd be wondering around like a bunch of idiots?!"

"... Maybe."

Sakura lightly hits him over the head. "Be serious!"

"Sorry..."

An owl hoots in the distance. Sakura shrieks as a rat scurry's off in front of them. "Seriously?" Naruto says, giving her a look. She has a blush coating the disgusted look on her face. "I can't help it. I'm a girl."

"I'm technically a girl too."

"No you aren't."

"I could be..."

"Really?" Sakura starts reaching down towards a certain clothed area. Naruto smacks her hand away. "Sakura!"

"Okay okay... This is getting us nowhere." She unhooks her arm from Naruto's and looks around. Her head suddenly starts to ache.

_Look to the sides, above and below._

Her voice echos throughout her head. Sakura furrows her brows. She looks to the sides. Then she looks above. "Not to the sides... Not above..." Something boils within her and she clenches her fist. "So maybe... Below!"

She punches the ground with all of the force she has. There's a cracking sound that echos throughout the forest.

Naruto turns and sees Sakura, her back is turned. "Sakura?" he calls, running up to her. She turns and is holding her hand, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I think I just broke my hand!" Naruto sweatdrops. "How... did you do that?"

"I punched the ground really hard..."

"In... frustration?"

"I thought I had something going there!"

Naruto carefully takes her hand from her grasp. "Ow.." she whimpers. Naruto observes it. "I think you broke your hand." he deadpans. "Thanks, genius." Sakura murmurs sarcastically.

"You're welcome-,"

"Naruto!"

"Okay okay!" He looks around for something to bandage her hand with. After coming up with nothing, he sighs. "Rip off some cloth on your skirt." Sakura looks like she's been smacked. "I will do no such thing!"

"Why?!"

"It's un-lady like!"

"God Sakura..."

"No!"

Naruto rolls his eyes at his friends modesty. He rips off some of the cloth from the bottom of his shirt. Then, he wraps the cloth carefully, but tightly, around her hand. "There. You have a bandaged hand, and I have a ripped shirt."

"Thank you."

"But what are we supposed to do about Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura puts on a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm not sure... I guess, finding him would be a good start."

"That might be a little hard..."

Sakura holds her hand against her chest. "Well, we have to try."

"Who knows, we might be able to beat him."

"Oh please Naruto." Sakura chides, starting to walk ahead of him. "It won't be easy. It's not like he's reading a book."

* * *

_I so desperately want to read the next chapter..._ Kakashi thinks to himself, looking down at his weapons pouch. _It seemed like the main character was about to unveil a secret... No!_ He looks away. _I have to keep an eye out for those two... But then again, they don't remember how to use their chakra properly... What if they go with their gut?... But what if they don't..._

* * *

"Naruto, I think I see him..." Sakura tugs on Naruto's sleeve, pointing at a tree not too far from them. "Huh?" Naruto squints his eyes. Sure enough, he sees Kakashi's elbow poking out from behind. "Some _demon_ he is. Come on let's go get him!" Sakura starts to walk forward. Naruto grabs her arm and pulls her into a bush. "It might be a trap!"

"Well then do the thing you were talking about." Naruto raises his eyebrow. "The _thing_?" Sakura nods her head and points to a tree. "You said you could climb up trees." Naruto hits his hand against his palm. "Oh yeah!"

* * *

Kakashi lifts up his head when he senses someone. _Where could they be?_ He asks himself, looking around the forest. _Not there... not there... Not above- Oh..._ Naruto and Sakura are slowly traveling towards him... by the tree branches.

Naruto is holding Sakura's hand as they balance carefully across, making sure to follow the branches that meet with other. "Like a bridge." he mutters amusingly to himself. "I guess they got something back."

He stands and walks until he's directly below them. Naruto and Sakura don't seem to notice. "Well, look at you two." Naruto yelps and looses his footing. He falls down on his face, and Sakura grabs his shirt before he can fall fully off of the tree-branch. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Naruto sits up and rubs his face, glaring down at Kakashi. "So mean!" He shouts. "We were so close!" Kakashi chuckles and crinkles his eye. "My cute little Genin... I've missed you two."

Naruto looks like he's had an epiphany. "Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke was a part of our old team right? Why didn't you try to take him back here when he showed up at school?!"

Kakashi tilts his head. "I noticed something different about him. He was following you around like a lost puppy. I didn't think his intentions were bad, so I didn't want to make him angry at me. And besides, it was nice to see you two together again."

Naruto arches a blond brow. "Hm... You're really lazy."

"In certain situations. You know, i'm a very well known Shinobi. Copy Cat Kakashi, they call me. Of course, you two know why... or knew why. It's because of my Sharingan. It's very power, stronger than Sasuke's even. And you know what else?" Kakashi looks up at them.

Naruto is turned away, looking at Sakura. "We should probably get down from this tree."

An arrow pierces Kakashi's heart. "They always used to listen to every word I said..." He mumbles sadly to himself.

Kakashi waits until they finally reach the ground. "Well, you two did pretty good for not remembering anything. Naruto, I see you've mastered some chakra control." Naruto smiles. "But that's not enough. I need to see more." He looks at Sakura. "Sakura, has anything happened to you yet?"

Sakura thinks back to that feeling she had earlier... before she broke her hand. "Well... yes... But all it led me to was pain." She holds out her hand for emphasis. Kakashi steps forward and un-wraps the cloth from her hand. "Well... I guess we can stop here." He pulls out some gauze bandaging and wraps her hand again. "Let's go. You two did good."

Kakashi starts to lead them out of the woods.

**/**

**Yosh. **

**No new Naruto chapter this week... That's so upsetting. I wanna see some more Sasuke and Naruto team work Kishimoto! Gimme!**


	25. Chapter 23

**Ugh. I HATE THE SASUSAKU PAIRING. I will never convert. Never! So stop trying to influence me SasuSaku fans. STAHP. I won't listen. And plus, that pairing isn't even CLOSE to canon so your argument is invalid.**

**Once again, a new Naruto chapter leaves me with mixed feelings. **

**If you don't read the manga, just skip to the story, kay?**

**So in Naruto Shippuden chapter 643, Naruto's half of the Kyuubi and Minato's half of the Kyuubi basically meet up in a Kyuubi reunion. It was a little strange to get an inspirational speech from the dark Kyuu, but we did. And then Juubito was like: Fuck all of yall, i'm done here. **

**So he makes this giant tree flower shit like the one he did in the first stage of the Juubi, except it had like, four flowers. Tobirama and Minato were like: Oh shit, we have to save everyone! **

**And then Juubito was like: Oh no you don't. **

**And made a barrier from the spikes on his back.**

**Naruto is talking to Sasuke about how his sage mode worked, and how he had felt practically only nature chakra from Obito. Sasuke came to the conclusion, from what Naruto said, that nature chakra can cancel out nature chakra.**

**A theory of mine was that since senjutsu chakra worked, genjutsu would work as well. So that way Sasuke can have a part in the battle. But instead, Naruto and Minato went Super Saiyan, and so now I don't know what the fuck i'm supposed to think.**

**But before Minato and Naruto went Super Saiyan, Obito was trying to shit talk about Minato and Kushina, directly in front of Naruto! At this point, Obito made his way to the bottom of my list. You don't shit talk Minato and Kushina, you little bitch.**

**Anyways, Naruto was like: Bitch now ima kick your ass.**

**We got a little flashback type thing from Minato about Kushina. Let me just say, I fucking love Kushina. So when Obito was doing what I said above, shit talking Kushina, I wanted to pop through the screen and kick his sorry ass with my American powers, DEMOCRACY BITCHES.**

**I don't know why, but I was real bothered by discovering that tomorrow (not in our world, but in the Naruto world) is apparently Naruto's birthday. So that makes him... 17 now? No! I don't want my baby to get any older! It's scary... And that means that Sasuke's birthday has already passed. He's like, half a year older than Naruto or something like that, so his birthday is already done and over with and he's 17 too.**

**It's scary, right? Our baby's are growing up.**

**/**

Naruto is stretched out on his bed, thinking about the events that's happened over the past four days. "... I wonder where Sasuke is..." he murmurs to himself. Naruto rolls onto his stomach and hugs a pillow. "This place doesn't even seem weird... It feels like home. But shouldn't I be freaking out?" He stares at his hand. "... I just want to remember... And the only way that's going to happen, is if I get answers."

Naruto sits up on his knees, a look of determination on his face. "I need to remember. For Sasuke. And for my friends."

* * *

"Everything?" Kakashi asks, his tone light and playful. "You want to hear everything?"

Naruto nods, the determination from earlier still burning hard. "I need to remember. I mean.. It's important, right? I want to know what I used to be like, and what my life was like... But first, I have to ask something..." Kakashi nods his head, willing Naruto to continue. "I still don't get it... If Sasuke was 'criminal', why didn't you try to stop him or anything? And if he left, and knew you guys, why were you all acting like nothing happened?"

Kakashi leans back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sasuke made a deal with us." Naruto raises his brows. "The deal was that if we kept quiet about Sasuke being there, then he would try to get you're memory back."

"So.. my memory is that important?"

"I guess you could say. We're just worried about you, Naruto. We missed you. So of course, we were going to take every opportunity we could."

"When was this deal made?"

Kakashi tilts his head in thought. "Around the time you broke your ankle."

"Hm... But, Sasuke is a 'traitor'... Kiba says... Why wouldn't you do the patriotic thing and tell the village? Why wouldn't you handle Sasuke?"

"Sasuke hasn't done anything bad yet. Of course, we need him to come back, but... I just couldn't say no to my cute little Genin." He chuckles. "Well, I guess you aren't Genin anymore."

"Another question... Do you know who my parents were? Or are?" Kakashi is silent, watching Naruto with soft eyes. "Hm... No. No I don't."

Naruto nods his head in understanding. "Okay... What was I like? How did I grow up? Was I really cool?" Kakashi leans forward a bit. "Oy Oy, calm down. Which one do you want me to answer first?"

"... How did I grow up?"

"Ahh. Alone. Isolated." Naruto furrows his brows. "It's because of something that's out of your hands. Something you can't control." Kakashi points at Naruto. "Something inside of you."

"Well what is it?"

"A fox. A demon fox. A nine-tailed demon fox." Kakashi try's to think of a way to explain without causing Naruto to flip. "The Kyuubi. It's been sealed inside of you for sixteen years now. It's a burden you have to bear, though. There's a seal on your stomach that shows when you use your chakra."

Naruto sets his hand on his stomach. "The Kyuubi had attacked the village sixteen years ago, and the Yondaime Hokage stopped it by sealing it inside of you."

"But..." Naruto hesitates, looking up at Kakashi. Kakashi nods his head to continue. "But the Kyuubi hasn't done anything... He doesn't seem so bad."

"The Kyuubi has done more to you than you know, Naruto. You're hurt people because of it." Naruto narrows his blue eyes, staring intently at Kakashi. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, but it was close." Kakashi says with a chuckle. Naruto leans back, satisfied with the answer. "Neh Kakashi-sensei, I have something to ask."

"Well go ahead."

"It's something about what Sasuke told me... He said he was trying to get power so he can achieve his goal. Well, why did he come to me?" Kakashi tilts his head. "Hmm? Sasuke's already gotten power."

"What do you mean?"

"That's the whole reason why he left the village. I wonder if something went wrong..." Kakashi looks out the window. Naruto hears a bird in the distance, and looks out too. A hawk is circling in the sky's.

Kakashi stands and places his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but i'm afraid I have to go Naruto. We'll talk more later, okay?" He leaves Naruto sitting at his table, not even bothering to tell him to leave.

Naruto waits until he hears the door shut to sigh. "Well that was a little helpful."

* * *

Naruto watches Sakura rush around the kitchen in the small home. She grabs some flour out of the pantry and smacks it onto the counter. Then she rummages through the fridge and gets milk and eggs.

"What are you mad about?" Naruto asks from the dining room table. Sakura glares down at the ingredients. "I'm not angry."

"Yes you are. When you're mad, you bake."

"Since when?!"

"Since forever."

Sakura huffs and turns around, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter. "I hate this. They haven't told me anything, but you go up to Kakashi and he spills. This is total bullshit... Sorry." Naruto waves his hand as if swatting away a fly. "It's just... Why won't they tell me anything? I want to know! I even tried asking mom and dad, but they didn't say one thing to help me. All they said was how they were happy to be back in the village. I can't believe they didn't tell me about this. I can't believe you and I- That they are-,"

"I know." Naruto interrupts, drumming his fingers on the table. "I wonder if it's real different here. I mean, it seems normal. Maybe a little more cultural... Hell, it's like we're in Japan."

Sakura gives him a look. "It's weird when you curse."

"It's not like i'm ranting."

"Whatever." Sakura grabs a bowl and starts to throw the ingredients together.

Naruto thinks back to when Sasuke first told him everything. It was all too weird. If Sasuke had left the village to get power three years ago, why did he show up where Naruto was? Why now?

Sakura slams the oven door shut and sets a timer to thirty minutes. She puts her hands on her hips, and looks at Naruto. "Well, what now?" Naruto shrugs, his blue eyes clouded with boredom. "You know..." Sakura murmurs. "... I kind of wish we never had run into Sasuke."

Naruto slams his hands onto the table. "How can you say that?!"

"I know it sounds bad!" Sakura says, her voice louder. Naruto sits back again. "But we had it good! We were doing fine! You and I. Kiba and the others... And then we find out we had been living a lie? It's not exactly what i'd call a fairy tail, Naruto! If he had never come... none of this would have happened."

"Don't you want to know what we were like? Aren't you curious?"

"No." Sakura's voice is stern, but Naruto can tell by her eyes that she's wavering. "I'm scared. I'm scared to know that I had lived this whole other life and I knew nothing about it."

"But Sakura-,"

"I don't know what happened! I don't know what I was like! What if I didn't even know you?"

Naruto gets a guilty look on his face. "You did..."

"How do you know?" Sakura pesters, giving him a curious glare.

"They told me you, Sasuke and I were on a team together." Sakura sighs in exasperation. "Of course they did. Because they tell you everything."

"Sakura seriously though-," Naruto stands up and walks around the table towards Sakura. "-you really don't want to remember? You don't want to know? Can you even accept what we... are?"

"Demons." Sakura murmurs, staring down at the tile. She shakes her head. "This is all ludicrous."

"But interesting."

"Why are you the one who's calm about this?!"

"I don't know." Naruto answers honestly. "I'm not... as scared as I was. I just know that I have to remember. I want to know about my past." Sakura eyes him up and down. "You don't want to know anything else?"

Naruto tilts his head in question. "As in: You don't want to know how things work here? Naruto, we're demons. We aren't people... What if we don't... What if we don't go to heaven?"

"That's ridiculous."

"I'm serious Naruto. We may have lived another life before, but we're different people now with different beliefs. Are you just going to throw your faith out the window? What if this is just another lie they've made up?"

"Sasuke wouldn't lie to me..."

Sakura scoffs. "Apparently he has before. I know that you have feelings for him, but maybe they aren't as... 'grand' as you thought they were." She sets her hand on his arm. "Look Naruto, we can't trust anyone. Only you and I. It's all too weird. You understand right?" Naruto is silent for a moment. "We can trust Iruka, right?"

Sakura shakes her head. "No. He lied to us too. We can't trust anyone. Just you and I." She try's for a smile. "We can go home after all of this has settled down. Okay?" Naruto's heart hurts thinking about betraying his friends like this, but he nods. "Good."

"Sakura... we can't trust your parents either." The girl looks stricken, and closes her eyes. After a few long seconds, she nods. "I know..."

A thick tension hangs in the air, both of them want to break the pact already. But they know they can't. They only have each other.

**/**

**(1) I thought it was funny because when I was typing Kazekage, I accidently spelled it Kazegake. And then when I went back and read it, I stared at it for a long time because I couldn't tell if it was wrong or not.**

**Okay, sorry it was a short chapter but I told myself that I had to update before school started again. Sophomore! Yeah!.. Anyways, it might take longer for me to update, but i'll try! Review please!**


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